EXCHANGE EXERCISE & EVALUATION

My main responsibilities during the pre-production of this video were helping to create a storyboard of around 12 shots and helping to find, plan and draw suitable locations. I was also jointly responsible for completing all of the necessary paperwork such as the risk assessment and call sheet which were needed before filming could start. During the production I was able to be involved with both acting and shooting and for the post production work I was able to find a piece of music that was used at the beginning of the film. The whole group was involved in editing the piece together.

Overall I think I contributed effectively with the pre-production paperwork as I was responsible for making sure everything was complete and in order before filming could start. Ideas from all members of the group went into the eventual storyboard. For the actual filming I feel I could have been slightly more vigilant for any continuity errors especially in the final few shots as a continuity error was spotted during editing. For the post production work the piece of music I found didn't fit in with the on screen action as well as I initially thought but this is something I will learn  for the next excercise. I will try to put more thought and research into what music would be appropriate before choosing.

Most of the new skills we learnt from this exercise were theoretical as we had already familiarised ourselves with the filming and editing equipment. We were able to put many of the techniques to make a film thriller into practice for the first time. This included the use of foreboding music, unnatural camera angles such as close-ups or dutch tilts and an enigma at the center of the plot. After feedback from colleagues and the tutor we now know how we can enhance these techniques to make the more effective in the final piece. We also learnt about finding a suitable location and finding background music to have the desired effect on the audience. On the practical side one new thing we learnt was how to add music to the film and edit it so certain parts of the track appear where we want it to.

Overall the lighting and the sound in the film worked well with the only notable problem being a continuity error near the end although we were able to cover this up during the editing.

I think our use of editing worked well especially near the end of the film where we were able to flash between the closing titles and the closing image of a character on the floor after supposedly being killed. I feel we could have used a wider range of shots such as more usage of close ups to give it more of a noir/thriller feel although the lighting in the park where a low sun created some high contrast lighting worked particularly well. However we probably should have used costumes to give the characters a better representation of those found in noir/thrillers. Most of the audience were able to follow the storyline.

Overall despite a couple of errors with camera positioning and continuity the exercise as a whole ran relatively smoothly and the most of the ideas came across as planned and we got the basics such as the 180 degree line rule correct. The feedback from the audience was generally positive with the only criticisms being the lack of an establishing shot and no costumes being used. There was also a bit of confusion regarding the storyline. Overall the audience saw the same positives and negatives as we did. If we were to get a chance to do the excercise again I would try to add more genre specific mise-en-scene such as costumes for the characters

EXCHANGE EXCERCISE BRIEF

The exchange excercise was our second filming excercise and required us in groups of four to plan a sequence of no more than 12 shots focusing on the exchange of a mysterious item. The sequence was to be set in the style of a thriller with no dialogue and the only sound being music. The idea of the task was to get us to be more innovative with our camera shots and editing to help reinforce the thriller style and give us further ideas of what we will be required to do on the noir opening. This excercise was to also give us more time on the filming and editing equipment.

NEO-NOIR OPENING: INDIVIDUAL IDEA

Synopsis: Film set in British working class suburbia in an area with an underworld of crime and drug dealing. Main character is a young teenage male with a troubled and violent upbringing who turns to drugs to try to escape reality of life. He gets involved in the urban underworld and finds himself in debt to dealers and gangs. Becomes enemy to the gang because of this and an affair he has with the girlfriend of one of the members. This leads to his ultimate downfall. Main location will be under a bridge in a park possibly at night or in twilight

Beginning: Film follows non-linear storyline and is narrated in voice-over as a flashback from the main character's perspective. Opening scene is the end of the story. Character stands under bridge smoking cannabis on his own when he gets a distressed phone call from his girlfriend warning him about a gang that is after him. A chase begins as he tries in vain to run away but he is caught and taken somewhere out of camera shot. Audience doesn’t know what happens but the scene is narrated by the main character. Following scene is set around one year previous to this and along with the rest of the opening scenes introduces the character's background and family and begins the story of why he ended up in the situation he was in at the end of the story.

Middle: The middle of the film is where his downfall begins to gather place. He is on a slippery slope and begins to lose his remaining allies. His drug addiction gets steadily worse as does his relationship with his family. During this time he becomes more known to the gangs and drug dealers in the area, even more so when he meets the girl. After she is initially presented as a possible lifeline for him it becomes apparent that she is dating one of the gang members which increases their hatred towards him.

End: The end of the film builds to the finale which we saw at the beginning. He is now known to the underworld in the area and has been targeted. He receives various threats and gets involved in fights. The final scene continues from where the opening scene left of as he is killed.

The opening scene would be shot under a bridge in an area with minimal light. The establishing shot would be a wide shot of the location with the character standing on his own smoking followed by a close up showing a worried and insecure look on his face (for the filming a normal cigarette would of course be used). A voice over from this character begins the narration, voice obviously has a melancholy and reflective tone to it. As he receives the phone call the only voice we hear is his girlfriend’s on the other end, minimal dialogue would be used as she would only say something like ‘get out of there now, they’re after you’. During the conversation there would be heavy breathing by the characters. As the conversation ends he would look around with an extreme close-up of his eyes shifting. Next we see a person running round the corner followed by the character making an attempt to run away. During the chase scene the camera man runs with the camera firstly from the perspective of the character being chased occasionally looking back at his pursuer. Next shot is also running but from the perspective of pursuer with character in front looking back once to show the audience the fear on his face. The character then trips and falls to the ground with a Dutch tilt on the ground being used as he hits the ground. A struggle then ensues as the character tries to get away. To end the scene he is dragged into an area out of shot round a corner, little or no dialogue apart from the voice-over narration is used throughout this sequence.


With the establishing shot being under a bridge it allows for the familiar noir lighting techniques with the character being under a bridge but with the light outide creating a sharp contrast. If it was filmed at night a lamp post could provide the light. Beginning with a wide shot also establishes the location and shows the character is on his own and isolated. The downbeat and reflective voice-over establishes the tone of the film and helps guide the audience through the storyline. The heavy breathing and emotion that can be heard in the telephone conversation helps to reinforce this tone. The extreme close-up that comes next of him looking round shows his fear as well as giving an unnatural and uncomfortable perspective to the audience. During this sequence the music used would be slow and melancholy but also foreboding to fit in with the minimal movement that goes on in this part of the scene. As the pursuer arrives and the chase sequence begins the pace of the music rises and more of a rhythm is established to fit in with the increased movement and the feeling that the scene is building to a climax. With the cameraman running with the camera it creates a realistic feeling to the audience that they are part of the chase and by running from the perspctive of both the hunter and the hunted it gives the audience a chance to experience it from both sides. The shot from the perspective of the characterbeing chased enables some of his fear to transmit onto the audience. Using a dutch tilt shot on the ground as the character falls creates an unnatural and uncomfortable look and creates a sense of falling to the ground with the character. To create a sense of mystery the charecters will have their faces partially obscured by hoods. This will be especially useful for the chasing character as nobody will know who he is thus creating an enigma. The clothes may also reinforce perceptions of teenage stereotypes.

PRELIMINARY EXERCISE & EVALUATION

This excercise presented me with the opportunity to familiarise myself with operating and positioning the camera according to the type of shot illustrated on the storyboard and this was the first opportunity we had to use the hand held microphone and boom to record sound and dialogue. My responsibilities along with the rest of the group included writing a storyboard, shooting and finally editing the piece together. Overall I was able to do this without too many problems although I made a rather basic error when I accidently allowed the boom to briefly appear in the top of a shot. I also need to work on the positioning of the camera in over-shoulder shots with regard to the rule of thirds. For the editing each of us had the chance to contribute and I have now become more familiar with the equipment. For this exercise we were introduced to the basics such as logging each clip with the 'in point' and 'out point' ready for them to be edited, then putting each clip into the correct position on the timeline and I had the chance to try this for myself. Initially I struggled a little with the editing process although once I was shown again I got a better grasp of it. For the next project however I aim to make more of a contribution to the editing process.

 This excercise presented us with our first opportunity to create a storyboard and this helped to enhance my knowledge of appropriate shot types and sizes for the sequence being produced. For this sequence a good range of shot types had to be used. This was my first chance to put what we learnt about shot sizes into practice and see if it had the desired effect such as an initial long shot setting the scene or a close-up showing a persons emotion. As mentioned earlier this exercise enabled us to use the editing machines for the first time so I learnt how they worked and the basics of editing. This will be useful for further projects when the editing and cinematography have to be genre specific. Overall after seeing the finished product I now have greater understanding of the importance of camera positioning as well as editing correctly to make sure the transitions and continuity between shots are seamless and realistic to the audience. I also learnt about the 180 degree line rule which we had to follow.

The technical quality of the finished video was overall satisfactory for the project we were undertaking with the camera movement being smooth and no major continuity errors. However the errors that were spotted gave me an idea of what needs to be improved on by the next project. If I did this exercise again I would be more careful about where I position the camera especially in over-shoulder shots and make sure that I was more vigilant with shot/reverse shot, I would also be more careful when handling the boom as when it moved it affected the quality of the sound. If we did this exercise again during the editing process I would be more vigilant about any continuity errors such as making sure a person is the same length through a door when we change shots.

Overall I think the finished sequence came across as we had planned on the original storyboard. Considering how basic this exercise was most of our ideas worked on the finished piece and the majority of what we eventually produced matched the original criteria for the exercise. The problems we experienced were to do with the positioning of the camera during shots and putting what we had planned on our storyboard into practice was slightly harder than I anticipated although the 180 degree line rule was stuck to throughout. The feedback we got was satisfactory and we were pointed out the errors with framing and shot/reverse shot. Overall it matched the previous examples that we had been show in class.

In conclusion the finished sequence turned out as we had planned with relatively few major errors. If I got the chance to do the project again I would be more vigilant with my shooting with regard to shot/reverse shot and during the editing process I would try to be more aware of any continuity errors.

PRELIMINARY EXERCISE BRIEF

The preliminary excercise was a simple continuity task involving a character walking into a room, sitting down opposite another character and exchanging roughly 4 lines of dialogue. This task required us to shoot and edit. This presented us with the chance to learn the basics of creating a storyboard and shooting as well as introducing us to the editing equipment. As we were all relatively unfamiliar with the camera and the editing equipment all responsibilities were shared out equally amongst the groups of three giving each of us the chance to familiarise ourselves with the equipment. The responsibilities each of us had during the excercise included writing a basic storyboard consisting of around 6 shots and including dialogue, shooting each of these at the right shot size and eventually editing the piece together using 'final cut pro' on the editing machines. One of the main aims of this exercise was to introduce us to the basic rules of filming such as shot/reverse shot and the 180 degree line rule.

FILM OPENINGS ANALYSIS

'Blade Runner is one of the best examples of a neo-noir film and the style and tone of the movie is demonstrated right from the opening scene. Before the first shot we see the words 'Los Angeles 2022' on a black background showing it is set in the future but giving a hint that it is a dark place, this is reinforced by slow and melancholy music which adds to the downbeat tone. The establishing shot that begins the film is a wide shot of downtown Los Angeles set in the future. This is shot at night but lights from the buildings and regular explosions help give it a typically noir visual style. The negative feeling the audience gets from this shot immeadiately sets the scene for a dark thriller and indicates a setting full of violence and darkness, a very pessimistic look on the future. It is also clear the various special effects that this is a film made on a high budget. The next shot we see is an unusual extreme close-up of an eye with the city in its reflection. After seeing the initial shot of the city we are introduced to the head quarters of the corporation at the centre of the story although at the time the audience does not know this. The significance of the building is however shown with a low angle shot zooming in aswell as its very intimidating appearance. Inside the building the light is also minimal and we are inroduced to a person for the first time, he is shown up in silouhette and smoking a cigarette. All we hear at this point is background noise which includes an alarm going off which adds to the threatening and insecure atomsphere that the film is trying to transmit onto the audience

'Memento' is another well known neo-noir film based around a character suffering from amnesia. Much of the opening scene is focused on a close-up of a hand holding a polaroid and shaking it as the titles appear over the picture. The first shot the audience sees is a disturbing picture on this polaroid of what is clearly a blood spattered room indicating something violent and disturbing a person has obviously very recently captured. The fact the audience at this point don't know the story behind the polariod picture or who is holding and shaking the picture immeadiately creates a disturbing enigma which encourages them to watch on. Slow and ominous but sad music plays over much of this scene to add effect and the titles appear over the shot in an old fashioned roman font. Soon the polariod picture fades away which adds yet more enigma as it is the opposite of what someone would expect although this does make reference to the rest of the film in that it presents memory loss. The next shot is a close up of the characters face covered in sweat and blood, this immeadiately introduces the audience to a character in distress and continues the negative tone and the enigma of why he is in this situation. What happens next is visually confusing for the audience as what happened before is played in reverse. We get a shot of the room he is in and and a man that has recently been shot but time is played backwards and we see this man getting up and a bullet going back into a gun. It becomes clear that the entire scene was played in the same way giving it a very unusual and quite disturbing feel. As well as establishing the tone of the film and the genre (dark thriller) it sets up the film by introducing the audience to the theme of amnesia that the film is centred around.

'The Lion King' is a well known disney animated film with an incredibly detailed opening scene. The first picture the audience sees is a sun rising over a savanna which immeadiately sets the location with a wide shot and helps add a sense of optimism. This, much like the rest of the scene is accompanied by african music which fits in with the location of the film. We are introduced to the animals as they all walk in a pack in the same direction showing something important is about to happen. The entire scene is designed to build anticipation and emotion in the audience for the rest of the film. With the rest of the animals we are drawn to and the introduced to the main characters one by one. The main lion, Mufasa is introduced to us with a low angle shot immeadiately giving him a superior look and giving an idea of his status as king. As his new born cub, Simba is introduced the music quietens which presents him as a very important character in the film. The importance of him and his father as characters in this film is reinforced as he is presented to the rest of the animals from the top of a rock. A low angle shot is used and as he is lifted up the volume of the music rises once more. This opening scene proviedes a very optimistic opening to the film by only introducing the 'good guys' and invites the audience to immeadiately bond with these characters and take their side. The upbeat tone to this opening scene combined with the fact it is animated and involves animals immeadiately presents it as fantasy.

Opening to 'Memento' - my personal favourite

NEO NOIR ANALYSIS 'BRICK'

         
The film 'Brick' was produced in 2005 and was written and directed by Rian Johnson. This is a film that embodies alot of the visual traits of classic film noir and has a very dark plot. This film also appears to have been made on quite a small budget unlike some of the more well known Neo noirs such as 'Blade Runner' or 'Sin City', this could be a throwback to the B-movies that classic noir stemmed from. What is especially distinctive about this movie is its very original and quite experimental cinematography and editing techniques which can be quite visually confusing for the audience and make them jump. The film and its characters are based around an American high school and the plot is centered around a student named Brendan Frye.

His ex-girlfriend emily has been murdered and he sees it as his duty to solve the murder. During this mission he encounters an underworld to his community with high school crime, gangs, drug dealing etc. The storyline is complicated, twisting and non-linear starting at the middle with the first part of the story being a flashback similar to many classic noirs and the second part following a more conventional storyline (starting in the middle and finishing at the end). As the storyline evolves it becomes clear that Emily had familiarised herself with a highly dangerous group of people and this is what led to her death. The mystery of her murder provides the basis for a typical noir storyline and the various gang members and drug dealers reinforce many of the perceptions of noir characters but they fit far more into modern society than the gangsters, detectives etc in classic film noirs.

           

The opening scene is shot in a storm drain by a tunnel and embodies many noir characteristics. The very first shot we see is an extreme close-up of Brendan's eyes immeadiately giving it an uncomfortable look and feel. We quickly get an idea of what the plot might be when we see a dead girl's body lying next to him. This scene is accompanied by fairly low key lighting and slow, sinister but quite modern sounding music is played. As in many classic noirs this is a scene we revisit on several occasions.

The following scene is set two days previous to the first and involves Brendan in a distressed phonecall with his ex girlfriend emily who is crying and obviously in distress. Here she is talking about how she did not know that 'the brick' was bad and how 'the Pin's on it' making reference to the plot and what happens later in the film . There is the familiar heavy breathing as the characters talk making the audience feel the character's discomfort. In following scenes he gets into a fight with her current boyfriend and then meets up with her. She tells him about 'trouble with the brick' and then leaves him. Lots of close up shots are used here to capture the emotion and obvious distress on the characters faces.
        
One of the film's most striking shots is used in a dream Brendan is having a dream where he is standing in the same storm drain where Em's body was dumped. The camera is facing the tunnel and something very quickly rises out of the water and engulfs the camera, this is accompanied by a foreboding sound that gets progressively louder. This was one of many unusual cinematography techniques used to shock the viewer or make them jump.

Soon after we return to the tunnel with Brendan next to his ex's body. Here we see some familiar noir lighting techniques as he hears footsteps running towards him and runs down the tunnel. At this point it is shot from inside the tunnel and we see some high contrast in the light as we look toward the end of the tunnel. The sound of footsteps but characters being invisible in the darkness help give the sense of insecurity and claustrophobia to the audience. Sinister and foreboding background music is played everytime we revisit the tunnel.

One of the key sequences in the film is when we are introduced to violent gang member Tug. He is first seen punching Brendan and we see this from the perspective of Brendan himself giving the audience the idea they are being punched. A low angle shot from the perspective of Brendan lying on the ground to emphasise the superior stature of tug. Shortly afterwards we revisit the same character and once again he is punched repeatedly. As he is the picture is sometimes blurred or appears to vibrate which can be quite disorientating for the viewer (I found it made me a bit dizzy) and adds to the sense that they are part of the fight. Afterwards he is taken in the boot of a car to a building to see the gang's ringleader and drug dealer 'the Pin'. He is introduced to us in a poorly lit room from a long shot that is initially blurred as it is from the perspective of Brendan without his glasses on. Moments later he is thrown to the ground and we see an example of a dutch tilt as the camera is shown to be crashing onto its side along with Brendan. This combined with the low key lighting used in this indoor scene probably embodies noir cinematography and lighting more than any other sequence and it is presumably designed to give a disorientating and uncomfortable feel to the audience throughout.

Some of the mise en scene used is typical to the noir genre with characters very regularly smoking cigarettes. There is also a scene where a character is shot dead by the tunnel where a gun appears, incidentally much of this scene was also shot from inside the tunnel giving the same high contrast lighting as mentioned earlier. The clothes the characters wear are typical of the age group and type of people these characters are represented as e.g the main character wearing a jacket and t-shirt most of the time and the tug wearing a white vest showing his muscle. The locations tend to just be simple suburban or school environments.

Overall I think this film fits in very well with modern society and the storyline is contempory and designed to appeal to a young audience. The film recieved positive reviews and was praised for the originality of some of its visual techniques as well as what the director had managed to produce on a limited budget.