With the focus group, what we were required to do was present the pitch we had developed for the (full 30-minute) MEST2 film and take up any points of feedback on it mainly through answering any proposed questions. Our presentation was not only limited to explaining the plot step-by-step to the focus group, but more specific elements to it such as target audience and characters within it just to name a select few.
'A cliffhanger is a great idea, certainly for this genre [...] I think that's how you give it a more arthouse twist.'
'I love the idea about this concept of coming to the UK because you could also touch on one of the biggest issues of our age which is immigration and refugees.'
'Maybe having Spanish drug dealers who have a link to Mexico but they come through that particular route from the Channel Tunnel [...] this has been the focus of the UK for the last 12 months.'
'I love the idea of this antihero [...] a complex character that's again very good for the arthouse film because there's no obvious good or bad.'
'One thing you have to do a lot of research on is the dialogue [...] and try to capture some of the rhythms and language you'd see in film noir.'
'You need a voiceover in a film noir.'
'Speak to the Spanish department.'
I think you should research into the psychology behind it [hitman's mind].'
'Don't just rely on Hollywood models [films which feature hitmen].'
'Think about how you can develop that role [femme fatale] and how you may be able to subvert it in some type of way, [...] don't just have her as a victim or a princess that has to be rescued, she has to have something about her as well.'
From the discussion, what I have been able to learn is the fact that our film concept has many aspects that we can touch upon in great detail. Not only can we provide a sense of social commentary on current affairs the world, or more locally the West is facing with things like immigration, but we can also reflect on things such as the portrayal of women in film as a whole as presenting her as somebody that can handle herself without the assistance of a man. Additionally from the feedback, something we'll definitely attempt to portray as accurately as possible is the psychology within the mind of a hitman. By doing this not only are we providing a more realistic outlook on what exactly goes through the mind of a hitman, but also we add an entirely new element to the authenticity of the film since we don't actually get a word from the hitman himself, rather just insights into his mind.
When it comes to target audience, the film will appeal to teenagers from the age of 15 all the way to middle-aged 45-year olds. While predominantly being targeted at more of a middle-class audience for its more experimental elements, e.g. silent hitman, the film is also bound to appeal more towards explorers and strugglers in terms of psychographic groups since its fast-paced nature provides a sense of refuge from the trouble everyday life may involve. This all said, the film will without a doubt entertain mafia/crime 'movie buffs' simply due to how much the film pertains to elements of the genre but also differs from it.
‘I’ll pay for the mistakes I’ve made, but not with my life’
Topic from brief
(e.g. Modern-noir, Urban Life etc.):
Modern-noir
Genre (and sub-genre
if applicable): Crime
Logline – one
sentence that sums up the film and hooks people in (25 words or fewer):
A fatal mistake proves to be the game changer, and now it’s
the hitman with the target on his back.
Other successful films that are similar to yours:
Sicario, Agent 47, RED,
Narrative structure
for full 30-minute film – what happens and in what order (max 100 words)
Takes shot of vodka, and kills people on hit list- to
emphasise drinking problem (in Mexico).
Also in secret relationship with Cartel bosses daughter.
Learns of accountant taking bribe from police to sell out
the cartel and go on the run to Europe.
(3 minute extract)
After failed mission, using skills acquired over time to
stay on the run and stay in the shadows from the cartel whilst fighting against
‘demons’ (drinking problem).
La Sombra meets with secret lover, Cartel bosses daughter
but still isn’t aware of this. Plans to run away with her and is ready, waiting
on boat to ‘disappear’ for good and waiting for Maria to come. After waiting
for hours Don Javier comes on to the boat with his entourage and holding his
daughter at gun point. La sombre realises and must choose which one of them
dies.
Main protagonist,
their desires, the conflicts they encounter etc.:
La Sombra-the shadow. Money is irrelevant, to a man who
takes so much. The thrill is the drive and the money is the bonus. ‘Silent’
protagonist doesn’t talk throughout film but has independent narrative and
thoughts in his head.
Other characters and
their role/audience appeal:
Don Javier Sanchez - Cartel
boss who orders the killings of his enemies.
Accomplice to Don Javier - Eduardo Sanchez-loyal to a fault –cousin
to Don Javier
Victim (intended) Arne
Schafer – Angered cartel boss, Former cartel accountant
Maria Angel - Daughter of Don Javier but took mother's name
Target audience for
your film (age, gender, social class, interests etc.):
Teenagers 15-45, middle class, people who travel-
The three-minute extract you will make and where it would appear
in the film:
This will appear just after the beginning scenes in Mexico.
La Sombra waiting on beach in England and picks up phone
buried on the beach, Don Javier on phone giving orders about next
kill-accountant. Breaks phone and throws into the sea.
Heads to location to pick up tools and more information
about next kill.
Heads to location of kill and realises it is a mask party,
don Javier is also attending the party.
La Sombra kills wrong person by mistake and accountant gets
away and now La Sombra goes on the run.
The BBFC is a body which essentially controls the content screened in cinemas, with the age-rating process quite a key part of this. It is funded by the charges they make to classify films and not actually by the government whatsoever. However, in making changes to these fees the Department of Culture, Media and Sport have to consulted for approval of the changes.
Films are rated by BBFC examiners who watch the films they're classifying in BBFC cinemas to get an accurate representation as to how viewers are going to experience the film. In examining, the film’s synopsis, as well as things like bad language are kept a log of by them.
The BBFC have to consider issues such as whether or not the content of a film is in any conflict with the law and also things such as it could desensitise viewers to certain aspects such as violence upon watching it. Drugs, sex and language are all issues they [BBFC] consider.
The Dark Knight received quite a number of complaints from viewers for its portrayal of violence at its 12A age rating. With the elements of sadism evident in the film with things such as a bomb able to be seen 'inside another man's stomach,' it's questionable why the film wasn't given a higher age rating. I personally think the film should have been given at least a 15, especially with the fact that one of the issues the BBFC consider themselves is if a film can cause: 'any harm at the age rating concerned.' With children being able to watch the film seeing that they have a parent or guardian with them, it's not clear exactly how a film with sadistic elements like this would not got a higher rating than it did since it could without a doubt potentially desensitise 'a potential viewer to the effects of violence.'
Films rated 15 can include:
Strong violence
Frequent strong language
Portrayals of sexual activity
Strong verbal references to sex
Sexual nudity
Brief scenes of sexual violence or verbal references to sexual violence
Discriminatory language or behaviour
Drug taking
6. 'Straight Outta Compton' was given an age rating of 15 by the BBFC and this was for aspects it included with things to do with language, sex, violence and drugs. With things such as the use of the n-word, physical altercations and the smoking of drugs, it can be understood why 'Straight Outta Compton' received the age rating it did. Children being able to view such a film might have had their sense of right or wrong skewed or even their social development change as a whole.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind - Anonymous Content
Girlhood - Arte France Cinéma
A Clockwork Orange - Hawk Films
Flower Films
Charlie's Angels
Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle
He's Just Not That Into You
Detour Filmproduction
Before Midnight (independent)
Bernie (independent)
Before Sunrise (independent)
Bernie was a particularly successful independent film for Detour Filmproduction, with it earning $10.1 million in box office.
Anonymous Content
The most popular film Anonymous Content has developed is Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind which managed to earn $72.3 million in box office.
Arte France Cinéma
Son of Rambow
Womb/Clone
Clone can be considered to have been a notable success for the studio with it making over €3 million in box office.
Hawk Films
The Shining
Barry Lyndon
The Shining is an arthouse horror film which earned over $44 million in box office.
Distribution: Independent film distributors:
Any element can spark the creation of a film and the creation of it regardless of the genre it is in, can help provide a sense of escapism to viewers from the events in their day-to-day lives.
After having identified an audience, it's key for distributors to reach out to the largest amount of people as possible. This is made difficult by the vast amount of options to obtain entertainment from increasingly growing and this is especially due to the more recent emergence of 'digital' in the film world in which the way films are for example advertised, has had to be completely reworked to accommodate with the change.
Distributors take multiple steps before actually going on to distributing films:
identifying its potential audience
considering what would compel audiences to come and watch a film
predicting how much total revenue they could potentially make upon releasing the film
convincing cinema operators to actually screen their films
working to establish partnerships that'll help in building awareness and interest for the (concept of the) film
ensuring that the interest actually converts into ticket purchases for the film
- product driven
Who distributors are is also important since this could range from the more major ones who are affiliated with Hollywood studios to independent ones who handle distribution without the help of other (major) studios
There are a number of ways distributors can actually acquire films whether that be from a sales agent, standing on behalf of a producer, or an output deal pre-negotiated with a studio or production company. With acquisition, distributors need to consider things such as whether or not the film can be considered as original and something that'll stand out in the market amongst other things like the target audience and how marketable the film is. When financing is concerned, it's usually the case that distributors also become partners with the production company of a film to help contribute to its overall costs and bringing it to the market. Additionally film festivals can also prove as suitable ground for distributors to go and acquire films, with them being able to meet sellers such as producers, studios and sales agents. Not only this, but they also provide films with a (high-profile) platform for films to be showcased upon before release
The deals in which distributors actually acquire films usually entail the right to which distributors have in releasing the film in the UK and also that it receives promotion prior and post its release
Planning for the release of a film, particularly the distribution of it, begins right after the deal has been signed between distributors and producers/studios. This planning takes place between both parties (the distributor and/or studio)
'What, when, who and how?' are questions that have to be asked in order to ensure that the chances a film has at success are optimised/maximised. Who has to do more with the target audience of a film, when deals with the time in which it should be released, what, what exactly the film is and how the film will be rolled out to audiences. Reliance on 'conventional wisdom' is not something that'll be vouched on for a film
Film marketing is needed to help create buzz/awareness in a film to ensure that interests expressed by people actually turn into ticket purchases for the film. With this marketing plans are important as they help lay out a way in which upon the release of a film, interest for it will be at a peak. Marketing can range from things like the artwork of a film, to trailers and even social networks with again the emergence of marketing in the digital world.
Exhibitors actually provide the screens for films to be watched in so film releases can be considered to be a joint-venture. These releases can also be deemed to be a one shot thing as if a film is considered to be below average during its first weekend then its likely that it will lose screens in cinemas. Distributors tend to receive a whole lot less than the gross receipts for a film since revenue from ticket sales is shared between them and the exhibitor amongst other stipulations. The hold-over challenge involves how long a film can be screened for, and many factors actually affect this such as natural disasters, weather and even video games launches
Donnie Darko - Metrodome Distribution
Budget: $3.8 million
Box office: $7.6 million
Profit: Yes
Boyhood - Universal Pictures International (UPI)
Budget: $4 million
Box office: $46.4 million
Profit: Yes
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind - Momentum Pictures
Budget: $20 million
Box office: $72.3 million
Profit: Yes
Girlhood - StudioCanal
Budget: N/A
Box office: $1.7 million
Profit: N/A
A Clockwork Orange - Columbia-Warner Distributors
Budget: $2.2 million
Box office: $26.6 million (North America)
Profit: Yes
Curzon Artificial Eye is a UK film distributor founded in 1976 who operate in the distribution of independent films, as well as the arthouse category.
Something I can take away from the 'Red Army' clip is that even serious aspects of a 'story' or narrative can have funny elements too. With this, having slightly more dark humour could potentially be a good component to add to our film.
From 'Timbuktu,' it can be seen that music whether diegetic or non-diegetic, really does help create a certain vibe in a film particularly if its contrapuntal. It adds a sense of mystery and can assist in showcasing different aspects of a film.
This scene from 'Clouds of Sils Maria' shows that having good dialogue and so having good actors in a film can honestly go towards either making or breaking it. It not only helps drive the narrative, but it also provides your film with essentially another stroke of professionalism if it's there.
Exhibition: Arthouse cinemas
Electric Cinema, 191 Portobello Road, London W11 2ED
Carol
Big Hero 6
Bridge of Spies
Sleeping With Other People
Peggy Guggenheim: Art Addict
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2
The Dressmaker
The Wolfpack
From a financial standpoint, the cinema can be said to appeal more towards an upper/middle class section of the public as suggested with the particularly high ticket prices. In terms of age, it could be said that the cinema targets both young people and adults. This is evidenced by the fact that there are still films more oriented for children present (Big Hero 6) in addition to ones slightly more for an adult audience (Sleeping With Other People).
A case study in independent film production: Film London and Microwave Film
Film London is London's sole film agency who contribute towards the establishment of London as a leader or worldwide hub in the film industry. They exist in order to ensure that London retains its film culture throughout time for one, and that the industry within the capital continues to expand as a whole.
The purpose of Microwave Film is to as well as fund films, provide support whether that be through mentoring or development to productions as well.
London Calling is a scheme in which Londoners enter a competition where they can have access to funds and training to help create a short film, encouraging in the sense that as they are creating their films, they'll be nurtured to become breakthrough talents in film making in the capital.
iLL Manors can be thought of as being an arthouse film due to its more gritty aspects in its portrayal of urban life in London. Not wanting to entertain but rather inform on issues that take place within the city such as drug dealing and gang violence, the film is more unforgiving than a more mainstream film would be in its nature.
Freestyle could be considered to be an independent/arthouse film with it again representing a more specific section - in urban areas. In contrast to iLL Manors though, the film looks like it aims to entertain more than it does inform on certain issues.
Shifty, in a way alike to iLL Manors, is an arthouse film since it does focus on a problem like drug dealing on more of a smaller scale. While it does have some humorous elements to it, it is also without a doubt quite dark and informative on the dangers of drug trafficking, with the main character supposedly getting into quite a load of trouble.
Tips:
Know what your story is - ensure the audience knows who the protagonist is and why the audience should be sutured in the narrative of them at all
The film has to be coherent in its nature to allow the audience to actually understand what is going on within it
Develop a script based around the equipment we're aware that we have access to actually get a real idea of what's possible and what's not
'The Female Gaze: Rethinking Representation'
article regards how in advertising, women are often portrayed as straight,
white ‘tiny waist’ models. This predominant campaign is quite a contrast to the
actual average size (Western) women tend to be and this helps spearhead the
theory of Laura Mulvey, in which women are presented for the benefit of men.
The film that has sparked debate on body image and female representation is 'The Perfect 14.' It details the discussion as to how women are displayed in media solely for the spectatorship of male viewers.
Laura Mulvey's theory of the female gaze differs from the male gaze, as the male gaze describes how men are portrayed in the media as objectified for the spectatorship of women which is quite an alternative viewpoint to the more feminist one with Mulvey's theory.
In my opinion, the representation of women in advertising can be considered to be quite misleading not only to other women, but also younger girls who'll almost inevitably grow up to believe that what they see is what they're required to aspire to be. The media however doesn't currently feature women as size 14 because they're primarily occupied in fulfilling the satisfaction of male viewers, adhering to the whole concept that 'sex sells.'
MM51
Introduction - the concept of a representation is literally as the word says it: a re-presentation. They often, if not always are affected by someone's views or values.
Representations and the mass media - shows how the way in which something is represented can change the way we view it with things such as pictures and captions for used to accompany them. With this said photographers, news and picture editors can be referred to as 'gatekeepers.'
The how, who and why of representation - this discusses how the producers of things in the media often play a part in how exactly things are interpreted within it. Things like the expectations of the target audience, genre codes and intended narrative all contribute to how a representation can come across.
Another approach to ideology (the work of Stuart Hall) - talks about how interpretations of things within the media are affected by the experiences of the reader relating to oppositional and negotiated positions or more familiarly, negative and positive readings.
Representations and new media - goes into how we actually present ourselves in media with the recent emergence of things like social networks, e.g. Facebook, Instagram etc, whether that be sharing a video we watched or uploading a photo to Tumblr.
An example (representing national identity in old and new media) - here, it's talked about how digitisation has granted people with the opportunity to express their views on certain things and just represent themselves in general.
In my opinion I'd say I'm very well aware of how exactly I represent myself in the media. I know that sensitive and/or private information shouldn't be shared to a public audience or anyone for that matter and as a whole, that not everything should be posted online - digital footprint.
The people that generally have most of the power in the media are middle-aged white men as well as Jewish people. A standout example of this is Rupert Murdoch, who owns one of the largest media conglomerates in the world. With this, these people or more specifically the demographic in power don't tend to get negative representations displayed in the media. For example stereotypes of ethnic minority groups like black people tend to a lot more prevalent and easier to think about than that of white people. This shows how having power in media can affect representations people come to know.
In the above of scene of 'Donnie Darko,' one of the more notable features is the fact that in terms of cinematography, there's a predominant use of shot-reverse shots as a way of maintaining the focus of the audience with whoever's speaking in the scene whether that be the teacher or one of the students themselves. Not only this, but it allows us to view the emotions of characters, particularly holding true for the main protagonist, since the audience can see the facial expressions of them. Overall, not much camera movement is implemented throughout the whole scene and actually, the only example of it appears to be the panning/tracking shot of the teacher as she gives out the scenario cards to her students. Medium close-up shots are also used though, as a way for the viewers to see the text on the cards/boards as students read the ones they've got to the rest of their class.
From a sound standpoint, not much can actually be said about the scene since there is no non-diegetic sound whatsoever in the form of soundtracks or voiceovers. Everything you can hear in it is dialogue between characters or the sound of an object e.g. the chalkboard as it is being rolled into the classroom.
With mise-en-scene, the atmosphere of a classroom setting is delivered with the costumes of the actors being synonymous with school uniform. The props also help add to this setting with the chalk board in particular having connotations with classrooms and school in general. The lighting used in the scene can be said to deliver quite a realistic look to it all, with no strong contrasts or shadows anywhere to be found.
BBFC:
Contains strong language and psychological horror - 15
In terms of target audience, this film will most likely appeal to more of a teenage audience simply due to the high school setting of it all, giving it a sense of relatability to them [teens]. However, it may also appeal to those who want to watch some different to the typical blockbuster film just for its more alternative and unconventional story elements throughout the whole film.
Boyhood
This scene of the arthouse film, 'Boyhood,' uses quite a bit more features than the previous film, particularly in the department of cinematography. The scene starts off with what could be said to be a tilt, before focusing attention on the car of the protagonist as it eventuates into a tracking shot allowing the viewers to almost follow him as he goes on this journey through life which now involves him going to college/university. A medium close-up is used of the protagonist in his car as he drives around before a straight cut also gives us an over-the-shoulder view which is able to provide the viewers with a clear outlook on where exactly he's going. More tracking shots are used in the scene though, with them looking at the front of the car as it arrives at the gas station. In order to introduce this setting a long shot is used in which in the midst, we can see the protagonist proceed to fill his car up with gas. After this, we see scenes of the character taking photos of objects in the setting. What's interesting here is that as he prepares to take the photo, we as the audience practically see what's through his viewfinder before he takes it, immersing us into the narrative, and this effect is helped added to with the sound coming from the camera. A panning/tracking shot is again used as he parks his vehicle in front of the college and additionally when he walks into his dorm.
The mise-en-scene in the scene helps convey, like 'Donnie Darko,' helps convey this setting of school or more specifically in this case, university. The props the protagonist is holding such as the box and the suitcase all connote that he is someone just joining uni, bringing his belongings for the first time and even in terms of facial expression, looking inquisitive as to the setting around him. Lighting here is quite interesting since the use of natural light from the Sun is essentially the main source of light, providing almost a 'positive' atmosphere.
Sound here is also more layered with there being non-diegetic sound added in post-production in the form of a soundtrack, but also diegetic with things like the shutter sound effect and the vehicle on the way to the gas station.
BBFC:
Strong language, sex references, drug use - 15
In my opinion, I think people who like this film will be predominantly young adults from around the age of 18-20 to those who are middle-aged. This is due to the fact that it may provide them with a sense of nostalgia as they reminisce about parts of their childhood as they grew up, and maybe draw parallels between their growth as well as the growth of the main protagonist.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
In this film, camerawork is done in a way that it seems almost natural as if it's almost from the point of view of an onlooker. This holds true with scene being recorded without a tripod (steadicam), which helps particularly in following aspects of it in as said before a 'natural way.' The setting is also adapted around with some shots even looking through gaps in bookshelves as oppose to simply having shots from different angles of the scene from multiple cameras. Again, this makes it seem like the audience is actually present in the scene as an onlooker to what's going on. With this said tracking shots are used especially, as the two characters onscreen move from place to place within the library setting with just straight cuts accompanying all this.
With sound, a non-diegetic soundtrack is present towards the end of the scene helping provide the scene with a more emotional tone along with the diegetic dialogue. Additionally just before the girl disappears a distorted sound effect can be heard (non-diegetic) suggesting that she in a sense, almost isn't real.
The mise-en-scene in the scene just like in the previous videos helps add to the establishment of the setting in the scene with props such as the book cart, but also just the book shelves themselves. Not much can be said about lighting in the scene either since the scene is portrayed in quite a realistic manner with that in mind.
BBFC:
Contains strong language - 15
This film is likely to cater more towards young adults who make the like the genre of romance in films, but at the same time may want a more alternative element (sci-fi?) to it all with things like the girl suddenly disappearing from the scene.
Girlhood
This scene of 'Girlhood' uses the more conventional aspects of cinematography. A tracking shot is used of the main protagonist as she walks around the group of boys and once she proceeds to talk to with one of them, shot-reverse shots are used throughout not only to capture every word of the conversation but to also showcase both of their facial expressions to things said. This is again used implemented with solely straight cuts for editing.
Sound here also is quite simple with there being just diegetic sound emanating from the dialogue of the group, the dialogue between the two characters and also the wind in the background.
The mise-en-scene though says a lot more, with the Adidas branding of the clothes of the group of boys, one even wearing a hood, something being often associated with young people/adolescents and their 'hanging around' outside also something that can be connoted with the demographic.
BBFC:
Strong language, violence, drug use - 15
The target audience for this film is likely to be young people, particularly girls since it can be assumed that there'll possibly be some element of relatability there, but also perhaps people of more of a middle-class background out of curiosity of what exactly it's like to live in more underprivileged neighbourhoods.
A Clockwork Orange
The cinematography in 'A Clockwork Orange' is particularly notable. Medium shots are used throughout the scene, however the angles that accompany them change throughout it. For example, when the main character gestures for his comrade to give him his hand as if to lift him out of the lake a low angle shot is used as if to say that he is the most powerful character amongst everyone else. A more higher one is used of the actor in the water and its evident that he's less powerful with his hand being cut by the supposedly more superior character. All this goes along with the slow motion editing used which provides the scene with more of a humorous aspect to it.
This is furthered by the use of classical music during the scene (non-diegetic) which is particularly contrapuntal to the visuals onscreen. What's also interesting to note is that there are no diegetic sounds in the scene whatsoever, and the only dialogue in it comes from a voiceover from the main character who almost narrates that he's about to do something, which is also non-diegetic.
From a mise-en-scene standpoint it's clear that natural light is what provides the realistic look to the video. The costumes are effective since with each person's clothing being uniform bar hats, this idea that this group are a gang of a sort is really brought about. Props also reinforce this with one of the characters possessing a sword cane/cane sword perhaps suggesting that this group are a bunch of outlaws.
BBFC:
Contains strong violence and sexual violence - 18
This film will likely appeal to those interested in the whole concept a dystopian society due to its clear darker nature with gangs roaming around the streets of London.
An exchange of a suitcase between two people in a seaside setting perhaps gone wrong - could play on the whole idea of Levi-Strauss' theory of binary opposition
Urban Life
A video detailing the life of a sixth form student, potentially as a way of providing an alternative and arguably more accurate representation of life as a teenager as oppose to the more dominant ones
A drama based around a group teenagers, all attempting to make it big in industries that they aspire to become part of e.g. music, fashion, technology...
A more comedy-oriented film based around a gang who's main source of income emanates from the exchange of books whether they be novels or revision guides to name a few.
The preliminary exercise involves 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.
This task should demonstrate match on action, shot/reverse
shot and the 180-degree rule.
Planning process and
pre-production
In terms of planning, what this preliminary exercise was
able to showcase was the fact that communication across the groups we work in
as part of the MEST2 coursework, will be crucial in helping us obtain the top
grades. Since we didn't actually carry this out effectively, it meant that
elements of our production weren't as detailed as others with this particularly
holding true for the shot list, storyboard and script.
Although in coming together as a whole they worked quite
well, it could've potentially been better if we had all members of the group
working on the pre-production pieces as a collective and feed off of each
others ideas while doing it, as oppose to just doing it independently without
reference to anything else e.g. group member working on script not having a
storyboard to base it upon.
Additionally, being organised in terms of time (when we're
going to film) is imperative since dedicating more time than you think you may
need to actually making the film can mean that you have more shots to actually
work with in editing as oppose to less which we to some extent,
encountered with our production since we in some parts rushed scenes as is
evident at 00:34 of the video.
Strengths
One of the clear strengths of our video was our ability of
'capture' the atmosphere that one may come to expect in the scenario of an
interrogation. From a sound standpoint, this was done by the more serious
parallel, non-diegetic sound in the very beginning of the video, the
exclamations of Mamduh, the emotional cries of Abdi but also the silence when
the scene cuts to the shot of myself behind the glass window. This leads into
the idea of conventions in that one would not be able to hear the dialogue of
an interrogation if they weren't in the room, they'd only be able to witness it
as it played out.
This is further added to with lighting, in which a low-key
type was implemented with the lamp being the sole source of light visible in
the scene. The way in which it highlights only the objects placed on the table
by the interrogator and the faces of the characters around the desk not only
works towards this idea of iconography for the thriller genre, but it
additionally puts a substantial amount of focus on that area in the room
instead of there being other distracting elements present.
Our attention to detail is also something that can be
commended since by having the CCTV recording template only show up in the
scenes where the high-angle shot of the whole room is used, there's an even
deeper sense that an actual interrogation is taking place.
More fundamentally though, we abided by the key principles
we were asked to follow with match on action with things like Mamduh kicking
the chair, shot-reverse shot between Abdi and Mamduh and also maintaining the
180 degree rule.
Weaknesses
Although our lighting could have been said to play to our
favour in helping establish the atmosphere of an interrogation, it can also be
said to have been one of our disadvantages. With it being dark throughout the
entire scene, with the light from the lamp being the only source of light,
there were some problems with the visual aspects of our production with grain
being present and just not being able to fully identify with the characters and
get sutured into the narrative since they were too dark to see.
Another disadvantage relates to the CCTV recording template
since the time in the top-right corner was actually constant and never changed.
This is important from an attention to detail standpoint since with a real CCTV
camera, the time would be changing with each second going by and would not just
stay constant for the entirety of its recording.
As already stated in the 'Planning process and
pre-production' section, we did have a bad cut within the scene that didn't
work well at all and broke the idea of continuity editing. In future to avoid
this, what we're going to do is ensure that we record for the entirety of a
scene and not stop recording while dialogue is still ongoing unless it plays a
part in the plot of our production. As well as this in terms of editing, we
have to ensure that cuts between scenes only happen at the end of our clips and
not any point before that, or else we essentially completely void the concept
of continuity editing within our productions.
WWW: Some good analysis & use of media terminology
EBI: Re-do Q2
As a way of introducing the two characters in the opening scene, camera work or cinematography is used as a way of not only hiding the identity of one of the characters, but also showing the demise of another.
When the character sitting down is concerned, medium shots specifically are predominantly used, which are effective in showing what looks to be despair through his facial expression. As he lights up the trail with the match though, a tracking shot (in addition to straight cuts) are used to follow the flame as it spreads. After this though, a tilt shot is implemented to show that the flame is being doused by this other character with his urine, who we're shown from a much lower angle. This is able to present him as a quite strong and dominant character in comparison to the other one who is shown from more of a higher angle, in turn providing an opposite effect.
As this second character walks down the steps another tracking shot is used which in combination with sound, which will be further explained in the next question, suggests the demise of the other character. As both characters converse though, this lower angle is used again, this time however only allowing us to see the torso of this character, his face not in shot. This inability to recognise this character helps add to this mystery of him, adding to this idea that he is something of a villain as outlined in Vladimir Propp's theory.
Camera work is also used to put the more violent elements of the scene off-screen, as we don't actually see the character sitting down being shot. Rather, all we view is the barrel of the pistol before this takes place through a medium shot, with the sound of the gunshots letting viewers understand what exactly took place. As the killer flees from the scene of the crime, a tracking shot is implemented again which further adds to this idea of this villain character being able to: 'live to fight another day.'
