Tuesday 29 November 2011
Editing Research: Saving Private Ryan
The shots held in the first minute and 50 seconds are very long,this creates a tense atmosphere,the viewer isn't really sure whats happening,if there will be a sudden explosion. The middle shot of the all the soldiers and their actions,gives you a sense of familiarity,these soldiers could be anyone,someone you know and their about to die,making the viewer feel more empathatic already in the film.The fighting of the enemy,is approaching and the men have to detatch themselves from who they actually are and turn into soldiers and do what they have signed up to do. They say goodbye to that but acknowledging their faith or family. The close ups of the soldiers face,shows they have to be composed and calm,almost blank,they have to turn off any ounce of compassion and almost humanity and kill foreign men, in the name of their country.
The pace after the whistle blows changes, it goes from calm and scared but to franctic,hetic and the pace is quite hard to follow as so much happens in such a small time. The POV shots are shakey,showing the soldiers fear and sadness at seeing their comrades die in such a silent, shocking way and switches to 'the enemy'-who again are only doing what they enlisted to do but seeing the ferociousness, quickness and violently they kill, gives the audience a sense of anger,in a short time,they have formed a empathtic bond with the American soldiers and divides the characters on screen,to a 'them' and 'us'.The pacing under water slows quite dramatically in contrast to the earlier execution of the soldiers,the pacing creates an eerie calming effect,is this what it feels like,when you know you're about to die,a calm acceptance and almost relief. It cuts between a soldiers pov,trying not to drown;when he's underwater,there's the sense of calmness yet when he rises above the surface,its frantic pace ,of the horrors of action in war. This effect I believe is to shock the viewer, many of the soldiers would rather drown than continue to fight and how easily and readily each soldier embraces and accepts death.
The pace then again changes and 4 and a half minutes. The effect is one of shell shock from the lead character. Everything seems to slow down,the violence that we can hear is muted out,allowing the audience to truly focus on the injuries the soldiers are suffering. It conveys a helplessness that the main character must feel, his soldiers,friends and potential family are dying without even a chance of surviving and for what? The close up of the blood tainted sea and helmet only emphasis this point, as he puts back on his helmet,knowing that he can either die doing nothing or die attempting to help his comrades and country.
The close up of his face, which is shell shocked and pale-showing he is just another innocent soldier,been upsurped from his everyday life, fighting after orders from his government and country, in the name of democracy.
A more frantic pace,would of given the audience less time to connect with the soldiers and Tom Hank's character in the beginning,diluting the sombre effect of the audience knowing that these men,risking their lives and being killed could be anyone,making the relatability fade and the film have more of an violent action film tone, rather than the more realistic horror of war intensity it had,with the secondary plot of comradeship and family.
"Saving Private Ryan has been critically noted for its realistic portrayal of World War II combat. In particular, the sequence depicting the Omaha landings was voted the "best battle scene of all time" by Empire magazine and was ranked number one on TV Guide's list of the "50 Greatest Movie Moments".[The scene cost US$12 million and involved up to 1,500 extras, some of whom were members of the Irish Reserve Defence Forces. Members of local reenactment groups such as the Second Battle Group were cast as extras to play German soldiers. In addition, twenty to thirty actual amputees were used to portray US soldiers maimed during the landing. Spielberg did not storyboard the sequence, as he wanted spontaneous reactions and for "the action to inspire me as to where to put the camera".
The tracking shots follow soldiers,dying in horrible ways with barely any time to defend themselves or attack back. Its a slaughter.
As in Saving Private Ryan, we felt our protagonist should connect with the audience and due to her situation, they would, especially the female audience.
Spielberg, made the audience empathise with the soldiers, especially Tom Hank's character, through the use of close ups and extreme close ups, to really concentrate on the emotions running through the soldiers face. We chose to film a similar shot in Infatuation, with an extreme close up on Flo's face to portray the anxiety she feels, after the eerie feeling of being followed she experiences.
We also used fast edits, to change the pace of the film, as the action progressed. The stalking and subsequent chase scene is the climax of the opening and accompanied with the change in the music, the audience were too get into the antagonist's mind, especially with the handheld movement.
Monday 28 November 2011
Editing Research
Edwin S. Porter: Life of An American Fireman (1903)
One of the earliest films to include the editing technique.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4C0gJ7BnLc
One of the earliest films to include the editing technique.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4C0gJ7BnLc
There are about 9 different cuts in the film,comparing this to modern day editing this is a tiny amount,we have cuts such as cross cutting and much smoother transitions. We now use editing to draw attention to certain details and add depth to clips.
There is only a close up and the rest are just long shots from a static camera. The lack of different angles creates a rather static,straightforward chronological narrative. Modern day films,use a variety of cuts and shots to create different effects from different characters points of view. An action film would use a large amount of cross cuts, to create a fast pace and a high energy tone. Certain angles would be used to show a character social position in comparison to another character e.g the antagonist would use a low angle, in order to make them look powerful and dominant.
The narrative follows a progressive,chronological order however the continuity is ruined, due to lack of editing,where a cross cut would be needed. The fireman is seen entering the house,rescuing the woman and exiting. However in the next scene,in order to see the action in a different perspective, we see the woman gesturing for help and then fireman enter the building. In order not to disorientate the viewer, in modern day film, cross cuts would have been used.There is only a close up and the rest are just long shots from a static camera. The lack of different angles creates a rather static,straightforward chronological narrative. Modern day films,use a variety of cuts and shots to create different effects from different characters points of view. An action film would use a large amount of cross cuts, to create a fast pace and a high energy tone. Certain angles would be used to show a character social position in comparison to another character e.g the antagonist would use a low angle, in order to make them look powerful and dominant.
In most Hollywood films, editing helps determine at least four dimensions of film narrative: in what order you receive information about the plot, how much information you are supposed to receive about the narrative, how you are supposed to feel about events and characters at any given time, and how you are supposed to experience the pace of the narrative. In addition, as the idea of montage suggests, editing can serve an intellectual function, often making aesthetic, political, or ideological assertions about the activities you are seeing, as well as emotional appeals. This latter activity tends to belong more to the world of avant-garde and experimental films.
Psycho 'Shower scene'
1st viewing: how many cuts are there? 66
2nd viewing: how long is each edit? What happens to the pace of the editing? The beginning of the scene is quite lengthy and a relaxed pace,with around 5 cuts but as the mysterious figure approaches,the cuts get more quick and erratic,making the audience eyes more difficult to adjust to each scene and more panicky and tense.
3rd viewing: how does the length of each edit link to the narrative?
4th viewing: how does Hitchcock control the audience's reactions through his editing? 'You know that the public always likes to be one jump ahead of the story; they like to feel they know what’s coming next. So you deliberately play upon this fact to control their thoughts. You turn the viewer in one direction and then in another; you keep him as far as possible from what’s actually going to happen.'
4th viewing: how does Hitchcock control the audience's reactions through his editing? 'You know that the public always likes to be one jump ahead of the story; they like to feel they know what’s coming next. So you deliberately play upon this fact to control their thoughts. You turn the viewer in one direction and then in another; you keep him as far as possible from what’s actually going to happen.'
Through the use of large amount of cross cuts, the action in the scene is frantic and disorientating to the viewer,there is so much action to follow, it intensifies the viewers fear of this unknown killer,due to the sudden,shocking violence.
Taking inspiration from Pyscho and the cross cuts, we felt adding this to Infatuation, in the chase scene would intensify the fear for the protagonist and for the viewer. Adding with the handheld movement, this would inlude the viewer in the film and chase, making Infatuation more connectable with the audience. As in Pyscho, we led the audience into a state of tension through the music but with a lack of action, as the music intensified, so did the narrative with the climatic chase scene.
Monday 14 November 2011
Practice Shots
We decided to practiced some of the main shots we will use throughout our opening in order to make our continuity look more effect and professional.
Wednesday 9 November 2011
Analysis of psychological thriller
The credits of the producer and distributioners, is splashed with coloured paint,something usually associated with children and a key theme to the film.
Mis en Scene
Settings/ backgrounds are used throughout this trailer to create realism.
Schools are a common convention of a psychological/slasher horror; the victims are either students or the killer has had a traumatic childhood and wants to seek revenge. The main setting is in the family’s home, making the audience more relatable to the victims situation and scared,as it could be them,making the film more thrilling and un-nerving.
We see a hospital, a park,settings both realistic and used in films such as Prom Night or Scream.
Other mise-en-scene elements add to the effect. Esther’s dark, old-fashioned costume and watching her sister sleep in the dark,with the thunder and lightening,shocking and scaring the audience.
The combination of Diegetic and Non Diegetic Sound is used to create fear and anticipation for the audience. Diegetic sound has been used in this film trailer to help aid the target audience’s understanding of the narrative. Towards the middle of the trailer, we hear the mother’s voice say “I think there is something wrong with Esther”. Immediately, the target audience are aware that something bad is going to happen and that Esther isn’t the child we first thought to be is a lie. Yet her violent tendencies,are emphasised, in the scene, where she is locked in the toilet,violently kicking the wall, again shattering the image of her 'angelic nature',with a close up of her foot hitting the wall.
When first meeting her future parents, Esther states “I guess I am different”, so from the beginning, on a sub conscious level, the audience become aware that this is no ordinary child. During the climax of the trailer, dialogue becomes mainly screams and shouting; the mother on numerous occasions shouts out “What did you do!” “What are you doing?!”
This then makes it apparent to the target audience that the family are in trouble and that Esther is the one causing the trouble. Esther’s scream, on the other hand, which we hear about half way through the trailer, is spine chilling and signals her disturbed mental state, again hinting that there is ‘something wrong’ with this child, confirmed when her mother,rings a psychiatric hospital in Russia.
When first meeting her future parents, Esther states “I guess I am different”, so from the beginning, on a sub conscious level, the audience become aware that this is no ordinary child. During the climax of the trailer, dialogue becomes mainly screams and shouting; the mother on numerous occasions shouts out “What did you do!” “What are you doing?!”
This then makes it apparent to the target audience that the family are in trouble and that Esther is the one causing the trouble. Esther’s scream, on the other hand, which we hear about half way through the trailer, is spine chilling and signals her disturbed mental state, again hinting that there is ‘something wrong’ with this child, confirmed when her mother,rings a psychiatric hospital in Russia.
Non Diegetic Sound has been used in this trailer to create a sense of fear and suspense. The sounds/music excites the target audience and makes them want to know what happens next, thus making them want to go and watch the film. At the start of the trailer, a light piano piece is being played contradicting the genre of the film but emphasis on Esthers innocent persona, that she uses as a 'shield'. As the trailer digresses, the music becomes more eerie and the tempo builds up which suggests to the target audience that the action/ horror is about to take place. During the climax of the trailer, there is a sharp beat that gradually gets louder and louder, similar to a heartbeat.
Camera shots are used to highlight, Esther's growing dominance over her peers and family. An extreme close up of children’s playground equipment, of the hinges of a tire spinning, in a deserted playground,something also disconcerting to the audience; a playground should be bustling with children and their parents. It then fades to black, with a continuation of speech from the psychologist’s analysis of Esther, only stopping for sound effects such as the squeak of the playground equipment. Another extreme close-up of the hinges on a set of swings also appears,emphasising Esther and the playgrounds isolation.
The scene,where Esther sees her school bully, we track the girl up to the top of one of the play instruments where she appears to push her off. A shot is then shown of Esther at the top, looking powerful and like it was her kingdom, her domain, due to the low angle of the shot,also contrasting to her victim,who was once the alpha and is now the weak,victim.
Camera shots are used to highlight, Esther's growing dominance over her peers and family. An extreme close up of children’s playground equipment, of the hinges of a tire spinning, in a deserted playground,something also disconcerting to the audience; a playground should be bustling with children and their parents. It then fades to black, with a continuation of speech from the psychologist’s analysis of Esther, only stopping for sound effects such as the squeak of the playground equipment. Another extreme close-up of the hinges on a set of swings also appears,emphasising Esther and the playgrounds isolation.
The scene,where Esther sees her school bully, we track the girl up to the top of one of the play instruments where she appears to push her off. A shot is then shown of Esther at the top, looking powerful and like it was her kingdom, her domain, due to the low angle of the shot,also contrasting to her victim,who was once the alpha and is now the weak,victim.
Tuesday 8 November 2011
Research: Top 10 Stalker Films
Website link:Top 10 Stalker films
1. Fatal Attraction (1987)Glenn Close personifies crazy in this jilted-lover thriller about a married man (Michael Douglas) who has a weekend affair with a woman who refuses to allow it to end. Her obsession escalates from stalking to kidnapping and attempted murder before a final showdown with Douglas' wife. If there was ever a convincing case in film for men to stay faithful, this is it.
2. Scream (1996)
The masked-killer film that revitalized the stalker/slasher genre in the mid-nineties was a massive commercial success and featured several teen idols of the time, including Neve Campbell, Drew Barrymore, Courtney Cox and Rose McGowan. Plot twists and murder motives abound, and audiences were captivated enough to come back for two sequels (a fourth film is in the works).
3. Taxi Driver (1976)
Robert De Niro is Travis Bickle, an unstable, lonely Vietnam vet with insomnia who becomes a taxi driver to pass the nights. His rejection at the hands of a love interest (played by Cybill Shepherd) drives him to violent thoughts and an immersion into an intense physical training regimen to prepare for a war on the moral decay of society. He ends up attempting to assassinate a senator and kill himself as well, with disappointing results - for him, not the moviegoer. The film is commonly praised as the finest work of both De Niro's and Scorsese's careers.
4. Cape Fear (1991)
This Martin Scorsese remake of a 1962 film of the same name centers on the fantastic Robert De Niro as Max Candy, a jaded ex-con out for vengeance against Sam Bowden (played by Nick Nolte), his former lawyer. Max terrorizes Bowden's family in the quiet resort town of New Essex, North Carolina, until an epic thunderstorm-showdown between the two men put an end to things once and for all.
5. The Fan (1996)
This psychological thriller starring Robert DeNiro and Wesley Snipes explores the obsessive dedication of certain sports fanatics - in this case, baseball. De Niro's character grows increasingly disturbed throughout the film, as his favorite player's performance spirals downward and his own life follows suit. Once people start dying, however, the game appears to be over. Or is it just getting started?
6. Fear (1996)
Back when Mark Walhberg was still known as Marky Mark of “Marky Mark & the Funky Bunch,” his take on the possessive psychopath David offered the first real glimpse of his acting chops. He starred alongside love interest Reese Witherspoon, a teen also headed for greater roles on the silver screen, in this dark tale of obsession and betrayal.
7. One Hour Photo (2002)
What makes this stalker flick super creepy is the fact that bad guy Robin Williams finally plays totally against type, shocking the viewer into devoted belief in his lonely photo-shop employee who grows ever more jealous of one particular family’s seemingly perfect lifestyle (as he sees it through their pictures). Pushed over the edge after he is accused of theft, the four-eyed photobug decides to tear the family apart.
8. The Hand That Rocks the Cradle (1992)
Rebecca De Mornay is woman who blames a family for her miscarriage and her husband's death, and in return poses as a nanny to infiltrate their lives and get revenge. The film was dismissed by most as a cheap knock-off of Fatal Attraction, but it deserves better - De Mornay shines as a murderous homewrecker in this one.
9. Single White Female(1992)
Bridget Fonda is the object of Jennifer Jason Leigh's affections in this creepy roommate thriller that serves as living proof that even some of the sweetest girls are stone-cold crazy. As Leigh's character progresses from jealousy and creepy impersonations to outright murder, studio apartment leases skyrocket.
10. Sleeping with the Enemy (1991)
Julia Roberts goes into hiding when her husband turns into a violent maniac, and of course he tracks her down in this dated but entertaining '90s flick. Patrick Bergin nails the psycho ex-husband role, and is one of the best you’ll see in any stalker movie.
1. Fatal Attraction (1987)Glenn Close personifies crazy in this jilted-lover thriller about a married man (Michael Douglas) who has a weekend affair with a woman who refuses to allow it to end. Her obsession escalates from stalking to kidnapping and attempted murder before a final showdown with Douglas' wife. If there was ever a convincing case in film for men to stay faithful, this is it.
2. Scream (1996)
The masked-killer film that revitalized the stalker/slasher genre in the mid-nineties was a massive commercial success and featured several teen idols of the time, including Neve Campbell, Drew Barrymore, Courtney Cox and Rose McGowan. Plot twists and murder motives abound, and audiences were captivated enough to come back for two sequels (a fourth film is in the works).
3. Taxi Driver (1976)
Robert De Niro is Travis Bickle, an unstable, lonely Vietnam vet with insomnia who becomes a taxi driver to pass the nights. His rejection at the hands of a love interest (played by Cybill Shepherd) drives him to violent thoughts and an immersion into an intense physical training regimen to prepare for a war on the moral decay of society. He ends up attempting to assassinate a senator and kill himself as well, with disappointing results - for him, not the moviegoer. The film is commonly praised as the finest work of both De Niro's and Scorsese's careers.
4. Cape Fear (1991)
This Martin Scorsese remake of a 1962 film of the same name centers on the fantastic Robert De Niro as Max Candy, a jaded ex-con out for vengeance against Sam Bowden (played by Nick Nolte), his former lawyer. Max terrorizes Bowden's family in the quiet resort town of New Essex, North Carolina, until an epic thunderstorm-showdown between the two men put an end to things once and for all.
5. The Fan (1996)
This psychological thriller starring Robert DeNiro and Wesley Snipes explores the obsessive dedication of certain sports fanatics - in this case, baseball. De Niro's character grows increasingly disturbed throughout the film, as his favorite player's performance spirals downward and his own life follows suit. Once people start dying, however, the game appears to be over. Or is it just getting started?
6. Fear (1996)
Back when Mark Walhberg was still known as Marky Mark of “Marky Mark & the Funky Bunch,” his take on the possessive psychopath David offered the first real glimpse of his acting chops. He starred alongside love interest Reese Witherspoon, a teen also headed for greater roles on the silver screen, in this dark tale of obsession and betrayal.
7. One Hour Photo (2002)
What makes this stalker flick super creepy is the fact that bad guy Robin Williams finally plays totally against type, shocking the viewer into devoted belief in his lonely photo-shop employee who grows ever more jealous of one particular family’s seemingly perfect lifestyle (as he sees it through their pictures). Pushed over the edge after he is accused of theft, the four-eyed photobug decides to tear the family apart.
8. The Hand That Rocks the Cradle (1992)
Rebecca De Mornay is woman who blames a family for her miscarriage and her husband's death, and in return poses as a nanny to infiltrate their lives and get revenge. The film was dismissed by most as a cheap knock-off of Fatal Attraction, but it deserves better - De Mornay shines as a murderous homewrecker in this one.
9. Single White Female(1992)
Bridget Fonda is the object of Jennifer Jason Leigh's affections in this creepy roommate thriller that serves as living proof that even some of the sweetest girls are stone-cold crazy. As Leigh's character progresses from jealousy and creepy impersonations to outright murder, studio apartment leases skyrocket.
10. Sleeping with the Enemy (1991)
Julia Roberts goes into hiding when her husband turns into a violent maniac, and of course he tracks her down in this dated but entertaining '90s flick. Patrick Bergin nails the psycho ex-husband role, and is one of the best you’ll see in any stalker movie.
Title Ideas
Today we discussed potential title ideas and felt the theme of obsession and unrequited love would be key to the title. Our first point of discussion was the length on the title, we deciding on a maximum of 3 words, so that it would be catchy and stick in the audience's mind. The words would have negative connotations but be connected to unrequited love, in keeping with our film.
Possible titles discussed
-Final infatuation
-Obsession
- Possession
-Inescapable
- No way out
After discussing the titles, we felt that some titles were too similar to existing films: such as Final Infatuation -which we felt was too similar to Final Destination and as a horror film wasn't in keeping with our preferred genre. We found Obsession was already an existing film, with a similar plot line, so we didn't want to use this. Possession had the wrong connotations for our film, associated with exorcisms, soul possession and hauntings.
Eventually we came back to the Final Infatuation idea and felt that Infatuation, by itself was short and snappy enough to be remembered with the audience as well as stay with our theme and plot.
Possible titles discussed
-Final infatuation
-Obsession
- Possession
-Inescapable
- No way out
After discussing the titles, we felt that some titles were too similar to existing films: such as Final Infatuation -which we felt was too similar to Final Destination and as a horror film wasn't in keeping with our preferred genre. We found Obsession was already an existing film, with a similar plot line, so we didn't want to use this. Possession had the wrong connotations for our film, associated with exorcisms, soul possession and hauntings.
Eventually we came back to the Final Infatuation idea and felt that Infatuation, by itself was short and snappy enough to be remembered with the audience as well as stay with our theme and plot.
Character Profiles
Clothing-black jeans,top,hoodie and boots.
We took some practice shots of what will be included in our opening and on the close up of my eyes,due to my make-up,we decided it was too romanticized,so to make it more menacing,i will increase the thickness of my eyebrows and have very dark eyeshadow on my lids,to hopefully increase the intensity.
The iconography and representation of the characters outfits, portrays their personality,role in the film and motives. Flo as the innocent heroine, is shown the light,purer colours of virginity and purity,whereas the my outfit,is black,showing my anti-hero character,evilness and corruption. By having these common themes in the outfits, we are following the horror film rules whilst subtling exploiting the audiences fears.
Monday 7 November 2011
Shots and Techniques
The obsessed trailer has a similar concept to our idea and the music is a good tense piece with a climatic build up,something which we want in our opening. As both our opening and Obsession have a theme of 'obsession and 'stalking',a similar music piece would be essential to our opening.
The shot at 1.15 of the body being dragged away was an inspiration to our opening scene. I believed it would add the necessary eerie factor to end our credits with and the credits could potentially come on the screen as the victim’s lifeless body is dragged away. After a discussion with the group, we decided to use this shot.
The handheld movement of the film is one we want to achieve near the end of our opening; the climatic chase scene,in which only the feet of me and Flo are seen,with me holding the camera.
Music Idea's
Researching into music,we decided that we wanted a piece that matched the tension,atmospheric tone of our opening. Delving into the music used in similar stalker films,we felt strings and piano would create the neccessary effect we desired; the softness and innocence representing Flo,with an off-kilter pitch and a dramatic emphasis to help build up the tension and feeling that something will go wrong. When my character enters the opening,the music should become more menancing,to also help build the picture of the antagonist I am playing. The final moments of the opening,the music would fade out as the scene does.
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