In today’s lesson we watched 6 professional clips called ‘Arlington road’, ‘the shinning’, ‘what lies beneath’, ‘28 days later’, and ‘collateral’. All these clips named above are a type of thriller.
out of the six clips the only one which appealed to me most was the shinning because there is a lot of techniques used to create suspense and makes us as the audience think what’s going to happen next so it kind of plays with our mind which a thriller is meant to do.
The first view we see is an extreme long shot of an old building probably a hotel with its green land surroundings. We then cut to a boy who is riding his tricycle through the corridors we are continuously tracking him from behind at a low angle which puts us in a very vulnerable position and makes us as the audience very anxious. What also enhances this is why he would be riding his bike indoors which then creates questions. I can also hear dietetic sound from the wheels rolling on the floor. Which suggests the place is very quiet and almost deserted.
As we track the boy through some corners non-dietetic sound starts to play a sort of creepy violin tone the more we follow him the louder the sound becomes. The tension slowly builds up until he reaches a door number 237. He slowly gets of his bike which seems very abnormal he then creeps to the door we see a side shot of the boy. I find this particular shot very good because the side shot does not allow us audiences to see what is inside the room.
As the boy is trying to open the door the music tone becomes quiet and the boy releases his hand of the handle slowly. This makes the audience sense danger of the boy entering the room.
And then suddenly as the tone increases tension also increases until it becomes far too overwhelming than a quick medium close up shot of the two evil little girls in his mind which sends the boy running to his tricycle. The final shot we see of him is a static shot where he is sprinting off on his tricycle he is also continuously looking behind him which shows that he is frightened and nervous.
The main reason I enjoyed this particular clip is because of the way they used the camera to create different angles and shots, and what enhances this is the music which creates different moods. Overall I felt that the devices were used to almost there full potential which in addition creates a good thriller.
Tuesday 30 December 2008
watching student opening thrillers
In this particular lesson we watched some student thriller openings to try and give us some sort of inspiration and ideas on how to make our thrillers as successful as possible. When watching the thrillers I was mainly concentrating not so much on the acting but mainly on the way the camera has been used for example the angles, the type of camera shot and the techniques used because for the thriller to be successful the camera work must be good. I was mainly focusing on the main technical devises which are camerawork and mise-en-sene because the bulk of the marks are in these areas.
When watching the opening thrillers as a class we discussed the weaknesses and strengths of each clip I felt this was really important because when coming on to our thrillers we might make similar mistakes on the clips which we could have avoided. An example of a weakness in some thrillers is simple things like titles and credits which don’t seem to blend in with the clip itself and so there for looks rushed and the clips could be marked down for that sort of stuff. In the process of watching the clips we also tried to identify what type of thrillers they could be.
Looking at several clips I feel more aware and confident on my opening thriller and by trying to keep things simple and not to over complicated my opening thriller should be a success.
When watching the opening thrillers as a class we discussed the weaknesses and strengths of each clip I felt this was really important because when coming on to our thrillers we might make similar mistakes on the clips which we could have avoided. An example of a weakness in some thrillers is simple things like titles and credits which don’t seem to blend in with the clip itself and so there for looks rushed and the clips could be marked down for that sort of stuff. In the process of watching the clips we also tried to identify what type of thrillers they could be.
Looking at several clips I feel more aware and confident on my opening thriller and by trying to keep things simple and not to over complicated my opening thriller should be a success.
The Bourne Identity
The Bourne identity
In class we were analysing a spy action thriller called the Bourne identity. It is about a man who was found abandoned in the Mediterranean ocean and was picked up by a passing boat and seems to have forgotten his name and everything about himself. The aim of the film is he tries to discover his true identity and in the process of this he has been followed by assassins and the police and became one of the prime targets to be killed. This tells us this is some sort of conspiracy to do with the government. Later on in the film we find out that Jason Bourne is also an undercover assassin who works for the (CIA) central intelligence agency. This tells us why he might be followed as he knows some information about the (CIA).
Meant to be posted on (Thursday 11th December)
In class we were analysing a spy action thriller called the Bourne identity. It is about a man who was found abandoned in the Mediterranean ocean and was picked up by a passing boat and seems to have forgotten his name and everything about himself. The aim of the film is he tries to discover his true identity and in the process of this he has been followed by assassins and the police and became one of the prime targets to be killed. This tells us this is some sort of conspiracy to do with the government. Later on in the film we find out that Jason Bourne is also an undercover assassin who works for the (CIA) central intelligence agency. This tells us why he might be followed as he knows some information about the (CIA).
Meant to be posted on (Thursday 11th December)
Friday 19 December 2008
11/9/08
afterwatching the bourne identity, a political/ espionage thriller- it became quite evident why it was a thriller to begin with:
it was shot in a location with iconic features, obviously an american city, the spies/ assassins dressed as though they were ordinary people and together, this creates a sense of doubt i suppose upon the mind, the audience can relate to cities they can recognise and people that are ordinary obviosuly, this is why the audience can believe this film, in some reality, may be plausible, that there are spies and assassination attempts, perhaps even on world leaders.
it was shot in a location with iconic features, obviously an american city, the spies/ assassins dressed as though they were ordinary people and together, this creates a sense of doubt i suppose upon the mind, the audience can relate to cities they can recognise and people that are ordinary obviosuly, this is why the audience can believe this film, in some reality, may be plausible, that there are spies and assassination attempts, perhaps even on world leaders.
16/12/08
16/12/08
in this lesson we analysed professional big thriller movies and began comparing the common traits that each shared amongst themselves, not only but also the unique features within them individually
the shining was most likely my favourite thriller out of the set, it convey an oxymoronic theme if you will. The scene with the young boy riding his tricycle through the hall ways of a hotel- a location people can relate to*- portrayed an innocent young boy, however it seemed bizarre as us the audience, seemingly considerably older, are as if following this young boy. Also this means that because we turn every corner after him, we are in some ways more vulnerable than a "young boy". The most shocking part by far, evident of the outcries of the classroom, was when the two twin girls appeared in his mind.
Arlington road was also a very effective piece of film footage, the bizarre opening credits baffles the audience though can still be construde as a beautiful artistic opening. after the credits, the camera loosely focusses on a young boy, the audience is left pondering if he is on drugs or so on. However, the shocking revelation leaves the audience gasping in shock- he has had his hand severed.
28 days later follows a lost lonely man as he attempts to investigate the deserted london. Because london is such a massive city- being the capital of england- many audiences can relate to it, how would you feel if everyone did disappear?
also the mise-en-scene amazingly captured the sense of abandonment i.e. hanging phone lines.
collateral immediately portrays tom cruises character as a character to be focussed on, by slowing down the footage that presents his characters entrance, automatically the audience realise "oh he's important", also once again because they did the exchanging of the briefcases in a public area, it leaves the mind to wonder; oh i wonder if someone does this in reality?
finally, a very strong thriller would be "what lies beneathe" a strong film that focusses on the heroine who investigates the bizarre happenings of her home, the lighting is dull, the location is familiar (a home) and she is eventually led to the bathroom that is steamy (not exactly out of the ordinary for many of us)- though she finds this displacing...and so she investigates, the gradual suspenseful build up aided by the non deigtic sounds create a shocking entrance when another character is seen in the reflection upon the water in the bath.
*thrillers are only thrilling when an audience can relate to it, only then can the film "play on their minds".
in this lesson we analysed professional big thriller movies and began comparing the common traits that each shared amongst themselves, not only but also the unique features within them individually
the shining was most likely my favourite thriller out of the set, it convey an oxymoronic theme if you will. The scene with the young boy riding his tricycle through the hall ways of a hotel- a location people can relate to*- portrayed an innocent young boy, however it seemed bizarre as us the audience, seemingly considerably older, are as if following this young boy. Also this means that because we turn every corner after him, we are in some ways more vulnerable than a "young boy". The most shocking part by far, evident of the outcries of the classroom, was when the two twin girls appeared in his mind.
Arlington road was also a very effective piece of film footage, the bizarre opening credits baffles the audience though can still be construde as a beautiful artistic opening. after the credits, the camera loosely focusses on a young boy, the audience is left pondering if he is on drugs or so on. However, the shocking revelation leaves the audience gasping in shock- he has had his hand severed.
28 days later follows a lost lonely man as he attempts to investigate the deserted london. Because london is such a massive city- being the capital of england- many audiences can relate to it, how would you feel if everyone did disappear?
also the mise-en-scene amazingly captured the sense of abandonment i.e. hanging phone lines.
collateral immediately portrays tom cruises character as a character to be focussed on, by slowing down the footage that presents his characters entrance, automatically the audience realise "oh he's important", also once again because they did the exchanging of the briefcases in a public area, it leaves the mind to wonder; oh i wonder if someone does this in reality?
finally, a very strong thriller would be "what lies beneathe" a strong film that focusses on the heroine who investigates the bizarre happenings of her home, the lighting is dull, the location is familiar (a home) and she is eventually led to the bathroom that is steamy (not exactly out of the ordinary for many of us)- though she finds this displacing...and so she investigates, the gradual suspenseful build up aided by the non deigtic sounds create a shocking entrance when another character is seen in the reflection upon the water in the bath.
*thrillers are only thrilling when an audience can relate to it, only then can the film "play on their minds".
18/12/08
18/12/08
we spent the lesson analysing examples of other students thriller opening; by observation and contrustructive criticism i believe it made it far more apparent the available technical devices we could use in order to effectively construct a thrilling opening.
we analysed somewhat 8 clips, each having their own strengths and weaknesses, however, it became very evident that acting played no part in the mark scheme, where as technical devices such as mise-en-scene especially camera work was where marks were more emphasised.
weaknesses tend to be students lack of effort that becomes very presented and obvious when we viewed them. It was taught that even parts that may be construde as minor play a very vital role in the making of any film i.e. credit fonts.
when making my own thriller opening, by keeping in mind these simple vital areas and reviewing my own opinions and criticisms on the past openings, i believe i could more confidently construct a successful, bizarre opening.
influences may possibly include;
the shining
arlington road
the bourne identity
we spent the lesson analysing examples of other students thriller opening; by observation and contrustructive criticism i believe it made it far more apparent the available technical devices we could use in order to effectively construct a thrilling opening.
we analysed somewhat 8 clips, each having their own strengths and weaknesses, however, it became very evident that acting played no part in the mark scheme, where as technical devices such as mise-en-scene especially camera work was where marks were more emphasised.
weaknesses tend to be students lack of effort that becomes very presented and obvious when we viewed them. It was taught that even parts that may be construde as minor play a very vital role in the making of any film i.e. credit fonts.
when making my own thriller opening, by keeping in mind these simple vital areas and reviewing my own opinions and criticisms on the past openings, i believe i could more confidently construct a successful, bizarre opening.
influences may possibly include;
the shining
arlington road
the bourne identity
Tuesday 16 December 2008
Monday 15 December 2008
Thursday 11 December 2008
thriller practice introduction and filming
in the initial lesson- after we were organized into our groups- we were given an introduction into the proper use of the equipment; cam-corders, tripods, tapes etc. After becoming familiarized with the equipment we began filming our practical thriller.
my group consisted of addil, jamie and ayse and myself, we first skecthed our sequence and prioritise the angle of shots and length of shots and shooting techniques above a substantial plot.
(we believed it was more important to produce a thriller through technique than an obvious story.)
We filmed 12 different shots, majority of which was filmed in the college, the final few shots were shot outside campus.
we included techniques such as handheld camera, extreme close ups to textreme long shots, point of view angle and then also other angles such as aerial angles.
the film consisted of other themes such as tracking (jamies feet as he walked through the corridor) and unfocussed shots to convey mystery.
my group consisted of addil, jamie and ayse and myself, we first skecthed our sequence and prioritise the angle of shots and length of shots and shooting techniques above a substantial plot.
(we believed it was more important to produce a thriller through technique than an obvious story.)
We filmed 12 different shots, majority of which was filmed in the college, the final few shots were shot outside campus.
we included techniques such as handheld camera, extreme close ups to textreme long shots, point of view angle and then also other angles such as aerial angles.
the film consisted of other themes such as tracking (jamies feet as he walked through the corridor) and unfocussed shots to convey mystery.
Tuesday 9 December 2008
Practical newspaper thriller part 2 (editing)
In yesterdays lesson we got prepared to actually edit our newspaper thriller clip. We uploaded our clips on to final cut pro which is a video making specialist software which is used to edit clips. We had a few problems at first on how to upload our clips from the camera but we managed to do it in the end with some assistance. After we selected the clips we had to give a small detailed description of the clip for example whether it was a blurred shot, long shot, extreme long shot things like this made it easier when choosing the clip instead of playing the clip which will take up valuable time.
When taking our video shots we made use of the 5 second rule which basically meant before we start or end a recording we have to allow at least 5 seconds of time. The reason is when we come to do our editing it makes it easier so that we only cut the bits we actually want.
Once our group decided on the clips we started placing them on the story line, we made a lot of cuts on our videos this would not look good if we did not use any editing software. So we took advantage of this for example on final cut pro we cut our clips in to segments but to try and stop the constant quick changing we used transitions to try and merge everything together so that when it comes to playing the video it looks very smooth and professional. We also added some spooky non vocal music which really suited the video but before doing this we had to remove the original voice track which was fairly easy to do.
As a group once we finished editing our newspaper thrillers we were excited on how the clip would turn out. When watching the clip it really created suspense and mystery which is needed in any thriller and we were all proud on how our video turned out.
When taking our video shots we made use of the 5 second rule which basically meant before we start or end a recording we have to allow at least 5 seconds of time. The reason is when we come to do our editing it makes it easier so that we only cut the bits we actually want.
Once our group decided on the clips we started placing them on the story line, we made a lot of cuts on our videos this would not look good if we did not use any editing software. So we took advantage of this for example on final cut pro we cut our clips in to segments but to try and stop the constant quick changing we used transitions to try and merge everything together so that when it comes to playing the video it looks very smooth and professional. We also added some spooky non vocal music which really suited the video but before doing this we had to remove the original voice track which was fairly easy to do.
As a group once we finished editing our newspaper thrillers we were excited on how the clip would turn out. When watching the clip it really created suspense and mystery which is needed in any thriller and we were all proud on how our video turned out.
Tutorial on how to use the camera
On Thursday’s lesson we were taught on how to use these canon semi-pro cameras. Firstly we were told on how to position the battery correctly before sliding it on to the camera. We were also told on how to use the focus, zoom, playback, record button, and finally how to eject the DV tapes correctly. In this tutorial we was also shown how to use the camera props, for example for the tripod we were shown how to adjust the height of the legs and the angle of the camera. After all the main points mentioned we had to do it ourselves so that we are more confident around the camera. We were also told the do’s and don’ts of the use of camera.
Tuesday 2 December 2008
As thriller preperation
AS thriller
Preparation
Before we could actually begin with our thriller we had to do a 40 minute tutorial on how to use final cut pro this software is used to edit clips. This software is very complex because it has so many things you can do for example you can put in lots of different types of transitions, bond two clips together, shorten the length of the clip and basically only do what you want to be shown on the screen. To make our editing skills better we had to put a clip in the right order and in this clip we had the opportunity to edit it which is very useful when coming to do our thriller.
The second part of the lesson we had to try and make a newspaper thriller it had to be thrilling and exciting. Before we actually do this we had to get into our groups and discuss on how we will do this. To help us we was given a story board sheet with 6 empty spaces and in those empty spaces we had to put in what type of camera shots would be taken and also the angles and lighting. This is helpful so that we know what to do before we start this newspaper thriller.
Preparation
Before we could actually begin with our thriller we had to do a 40 minute tutorial on how to use final cut pro this software is used to edit clips. This software is very complex because it has so many things you can do for example you can put in lots of different types of transitions, bond two clips together, shorten the length of the clip and basically only do what you want to be shown on the screen. To make our editing skills better we had to put a clip in the right order and in this clip we had the opportunity to edit it which is very useful when coming to do our thriller.
The second part of the lesson we had to try and make a newspaper thriller it had to be thrilling and exciting. Before we actually do this we had to get into our groups and discuss on how we will do this. To help us we was given a story board sheet with 6 empty spaces and in those empty spaces we had to put in what type of camera shots would be taken and also the angles and lighting. This is helpful so that we know what to do before we start this newspaper thriller.
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