In our second production meeting we discussed our location and we decided that we are going to shoot in my dads workshop which is based at agolf course in an old, empy barn. we thought this would be perfect as there is good scenery and if also gives us space to make the scene our own and have it look exactly how we want it. We then consolidated our understanding of the props that we are going to use. Here is what we decided on:
An old scrap book
Rocking horse
Puppets
Candles
A jewellery box
Teddy bear
Vintage photos
Mysterious news articles
Antique clock
we also decided of some of the sound effects that we would like to be present within the clip;
Footsteps
Ticking clock
Creaking floor boards
Jewellery box music
Childrens' laughter
We decided to use the sounds in order to create and eerie atmophire to evoke emotions of terror from our audience
In our first production meeting we dicussed the various props that could be used within our opening sequence. We came up with the following:
Rocking Horse
Clown Puppets
Newspaper Reports
Old black and white photos
Teddy bear
Candles
Suspect board
As you can tell, a few of the props we've chosen are related to children. This was intentional as it came to our attention that a lot of horror movies are based around children to create a disturbing atmosphere. We also began to create a rough storyline so the we roughly knew what was going to happen in our clip.
We created a production pitch in order to present our ideas to our classmates. We went through a lot of debate and eventually came up witht the following:
After creating the war soundscape we were given the task of creating a short video clip with the brief:
"continuity exercise involving filming and editing a character opening a door, crossing a room and sitting in a chair opposite another character, with whom she/he then exchanges a few lines of dialogue. This task should demonstrate match on action, shot/reverse shot and the 180 degree rule.
This was the result:
Costume ~ Martha is wearing a dark outfit in the extract consisting of a black jacket and black combats. This ensamble gives the impression of masculinity which suggests that she is ready to fight, or something physical will happen.
On the other hand, the master is wearing a suit which is also dark but it is used to create mystery, however this contradicts Martha's action-ready outfit.
There is also a lady wearing a red dress, this shows that she is more feminine and maybe has a higher status in this situation as she is seen as a trophy by the Master, but also because she is very well made up and Martha looks simple.
Lighting ~ the lighting on Martha is shadowy on Martha's face which adds mystery to her. The lighting on the Master is bright which adds to the effect of him having the dominant role.
Actors ~ Martha throughout the extract looks very calm and collected as if she knows what she is doing.
The Master however, darts almost delirious and excited at the start of the scene, and then later on he becomes less dominant and more angry and intimidated.
Movement ~ Martha hardly moves in the whole of the extract. This is to add to the effect of her submissive character. The only person that seems to move is the Master, this is because he is the dominant character.
Props ~ the use of a cage for the Doctor suggests that he is captured which means something is wrong because he is the main character of the programme.
Also, the Sonic Screwdriver is used by both of the men because Dr. Who uses it in every episode so it is seen as a masculine object.
Setting ~ the setting is on a spaceship which is unrealistic. This allows people to use their imagination to 'escape into an imaginary world'
Recently in class we have been looking at various sounds used in movies and adverts. Our main focus so far has been the difference between Diegetic and Non-diegetic.
Diegetic: sound whose source can be seen on the screen, and is implied to be present by the action of the film. Examples include: voices of characters and object/prop sounds.
Non-diegetic: sound whose source is neither visible on the screen or implied to be present in the action. Examples include: background music and commentators.
The example clip we looked at was from a James Bond movie.
The diegetic sound in this extract includes: dialogue, gun shots, glass smashing, footsteps etc.
The non-diegetic sound includes: background music, doors slamming, etc.
It is hard to list all of the diegetic and non-diegetic sounds as this is a very action packed scene which means the sound producer will have filled it with many of both types of sound.
In today's lesson we focused on analysing the different camera shots used in two extremely different scenes. One being James Bond: Casino Royale, and the other Superman Returns: 1. James Bond: Casino Royale
This film clip is full of multiple fast-pace camera shot changes. The director uses so many at such a fast rate so that it confuses the audience's mind drawing them closer into the drama. Some camera shots used include:
POV - This camera shot puts the audience in the characters shoes and makes them feel like they are in the scene with them.
BEV - In this case the shot is a BEV of an explosion. This is used because it puts the audience right into the middle of the danger, making it seem more intense.
ES - An establishing shot is used in this scene to to show the audience the setting.
LS - In this case, the Long Shot is used to show the audience how high up the crane is, which therefore makes the fight scene a lot more dramatic.
MS - This allows the audience to focus on one specific character as they do something specific (e.g pull out a gun)
LA - The Low Angle Shot shows the audience what is currently above the actor, but it also gives them an idea of the height to which they a climbing to.
2. Superman Returns
This second clip is very different to the first. It uses a smaller range of less frequent Camera Shot Changes, this gives the impression of a more relaxed atmosphere. Some camera
shots in this scene include:
ES - Just like in the James Bond clip, this shot sets the scene for the audience.
CU - A few close ups are used in this scene. Close Ups are used so that the audience can see the emotion and facial expression of the character.
RA - This shot shows the audience what the actors are seeing and what facial expressions they are using. This allows the audience to feel the emotions that the actors are portraying.
MCU - The Medium Close Up allows the audience to focus on the posture and, movements of the character.
To conclude, I can see that the use of different camera shots and angles can change the tempo and atmosphere of every scene allowing the audience to feel the emotions that the directors wants them to feel.
