Planning - Microelements - Mr Smith

Micro elements

Cinematography is important in films because it helps make the final product, by colliding edits and shots together to keep the audience drawn to the screen. I believe it is important to think about the cinematography especially in thriller films because shot sizes, shot movements, shot angles and the pace of edits is what makes the narrative create a meaning and a response from the audience. We want the audience to feel anxious and nervous throughout the whole of the narrative. Some of the conventional uses of cinematography in thrillers are shots like reaction shots, close ups and extreme close ups to show deep emotion in the action of the thriller. 

Effective uses within thriller consists of conventions such as; a fast pace of edits for a violent attack (for example) makes the audience uneasy as the quick edits from different angles make the attack more thrilling. Also, shot movements can help create tension and fear for the audience and helps follow the tension building narrative.

Medium shots will be used when the audience is shown the 2 injured body's laying on the floor. I've chosen to use this because it shows a clear view of both of the bodies and how injured they are. This is conventional to a thriller because it allows the audience to not only see both of the characters, but some of the scenery.

Long shot will be used for the end to show the last shot of all the 3 characters. I have chosen to use this because it's a shot where we can see all the characters actions in the last shot. 

A high angle will be used when the female victim is scurrying around after waking up from being knocked out by the violence between her and her boyfriend, she is looking for a gun. I have chosen to use this high angle to show the character as an inferior character. This is conventional to a thriller because it shows vulnerability in victims which is usually what is shown in thrillers. 

 

An ariel shot is used right at the beginning when the scene opens and the audience see both bodies laying on the floor. We chose to use this because it will show the bodies and iconography clearly for the audience to grasp the atmosphere in the first couple seconds of the scene.

A close up is used when showing carlie's hand. This is to emphasise the cuts and damage that has happened to her. She will still be bleeding which suggests the violence that has occurred before. This will help give the audience an understanding of what has happened beforehand. This is conventional to a thriller as close ups are almost always used for emphasis to affect the audience.

A zoom out will be used for the shot of carlie's eye. It zooms out to see the rest of her body and also Lashane's. We decided to use this as it would help create a natural flow from the eye show to the bodies then zoom more into a fade to white. These edits work quite well together which helps the audience stick to the narrative.

A shot reverse shot will be used when both the actors are arguing. We will use this to create tension between the two characters. This is conventional to a thriller because it will generate a reaction from the audiences as well as encouraging emotion and helping them withdraw meaning.

An extreme close up will be used when the antagonist is introduced. This will be used to give the audience a clear view of the character entering the narrative. It will show the emotion of the character therefore giving spectators time to try and figure out what her intentions are. This is conventional to a thriller because the extreme close up will also show that the characters has a hidden identity, making the audience feel uneasy.

This is beneficial to my planning because it helps a lot with the camera operator with what shots they are doing before they even start doing the filming. Also, I have learnt that different shot angles and movements add a lot of interest from the scene for the audience.

Sound is important in films because it sets an atmosphere/mood within the narrative. I believe it is important to think about the sound especially in thriller films because the sound is what makes the tension, fear and suspense in the thriller. Some of the conventional used of sound in thrillers are non-diegetic sound of eerie music which brings a scary atmosphere to the scene that is present. Another example is off screen sound, which brings mystery to the audience, for example, a scene in a dark forest and a man is there but is hearing whispers, the off screen sound causes the audience to be nervous of who is in the forest with the man. 

Effective uses of sound within thrillers is all the types of sound because they all bring an effect to the audience. Without the sound in a film, the film doesn't grab the audiences attention as much as the images do. 

Non-diegetic sound is used when the shots are showing 2 injured bodies, this music is very dim but eerie for the audience to listen to. I used this because it would make the audience feel uncomfortable watching the scene. This is conventional to a thriller because in the making of non-diegetic sound you can bring an atmosphere to a certain moment in the scene with an upbeat tone of sound to make the audience jump out their seats. 

Parellel sound is used when the flashbacks are happening with the couple, you hear their voices and what they are arguing about. I have chosen this so the audience see and feel what the characters are feeling through their words and passion in their voices. This is conventional to the thriller genre because it shows violence in the characters and the situation itself which is needed for the audience to have an understanding.

Diegetic sound is a sound that is part of the film world  and will be used during the flashback scene of the couple arguing. The audience know exactly where the sound is coming from and is important for the audience to hear the dialogue between both characters. This is conventional to a thriller film as without diegetic sounds the audience will not understand the film.

On screen sound will be used when carlie is arguing with lashane and objects are being smashed about, e.g. the glass and frames. The audience is able to hear the smashing and see exactly where the noise is being created.

Off screen sound will be used when the gun is used to shoot someone. You will not be able to see where the gunshot is coming from but you will have it. We have chosen to use this because it is very conventional to a thriller, by the way it will leave the audience in suspense and it will encourage the theme of mystery.

This planning has been beneficial because it allowed us to use and have a variety of sounds used within our thriller opening. I have learnt that sound is a big reason for the atmosphere to be set in films especially thrillers, so having a choice of different types of sound helps in the making of the tension in the thriller for the audience to feel themselves.




Editing is important in films because this also sets an atmosphere with the pace of edits brought together to make the scene, the edits add a lot of interest to the scene as well with different editing techniques, for example; straight cut, fade to black, wipe cut, dissolve, etc. I believe it is important to think about editing especially in thrillers because without editing the film wont be put together in a unique way which will engage the audience, the pace of edits build an atmosphere in the scene. Some of the conventional uses of editing in thrillers are the techniques used like straight cut, jump cut and fade to black which is used to go from shot to shot.

Effective uses of editing within thrillers is all the types of editing technique which adds interest to the scene. Jump cut is used to effectively to show sharp movements in antagonists and other dangerous characters that may occur in thriller films.

Fade to black is used when the production company's name comes up on a black screen and edits into the next shot of the hand dripping with blood. I have chosen to use this edit because it runs smoothly with the background of black in the first edit.

Fade to white is used when we're doing a flashback scene. We used the fade to white as this symbolises the reminiscence of what had happened. This will give the audience a clear understanding that the scene is going into a flashback.

Straight cut is used when showing different shots of the bodies. This is used because it is a simple transition from one shot to another, also making It a quick transition .

This has been beneficial to planning because it helps with understanding what edit works with particular shots, and also helps with letting each shot run smoothly with each other. I have learnt that editing the images helps add interest especially with the technique and pace of the editing.

Planning - Shotlist - Ms Begum

This is the camera shot list for my groups thriller opening. Camera shot lists are important for the camera operator and director to have because it gives them a clear guideline of what needs to be filmed and the shot size, angle and movement. Here is my groups camera shot list:

Planning - Preliminary Task - Mr Smith

Purpose of a Preliminary Task
The purpose of the preliminary task is to give us a taster of a simple 30 second scene filmed and edited by ourselves. This is so we can have a flavour of the work we have to do before we start our thriller openings. This is also to show us what we need to do to improve and create in our thriller openings. Also, this allowed us to see what the roles in the production consists of and how hard the job is. The preliminary task also taught us how to share roles out.

 

The Scenario
The scenario in our preliminary task was two girls talking about a party coming up. One of the girls invites her friend to come along to the party with her but she doesn't seem to want to go. In the conversation, shot reverse shot is used to show the 2 girls having a conversation clearly. One of the girls say something offence to her friend and this makes a reaction shot to convey the emotion on her face.  Long shot was used when both characters were travelling towards and away from the scene. In the editing process, we used a fade from one scene to another to show continuity. At the end of the scene we used a fade to black to show the scene coming to an end.

Group Roles
In our group we shared the roles out fairly:

Director - Katie.
Katie was director because she has very good leadership skills.
Camera Operator - Emine.
Emine was camera operator because she has experience in filming and holding the camera.
Editor: Emine and Carlie.
Emine and Carlie both edited as they have some experience in using the editing software.

Difficulties Encountered Whilst Filming
Difficulties whilst filming was the continuity in the scene, for example, in the last shot a chair is in show, when it wasn't there before.

Difficulties Encountered Whilst Editing
We found editing quite hard as the majority of the group because we haven't got much experience in the editing room. We had to figure out how to cut shot sizes and how to add effects. We was all new to the software (except for Emine) but still got the hang of things on the computer and was learning new skills off of each other whilst editing the preliminary task.

What Have I Learned?
I have learnt how to use the software for editing in the editing room, whilst learning new skills on the computer. Also, I learnt how to vary in shots for filming to show different angles of a film. Another thing I learned was what shots fitted best in particular scenes and the reasons for movement/angles.

Conclusion: How Has The Task Beneficial?
The preliminary task was beneficial for my group because it gave us a taster of what its like to shoot a scene with all the filming techniques and how to operate the camera properly. Also, this helped us understand the process and how hard it is to get every shot correctly and the meaning of taking repeated shots to have a multiple choice in the editing room. This saves time in the process of filming the actual thriller opening because we have already practiced the filming process beforehand.

Planning - Preproduction Paperwork - Ms Begum

Introduction: We need the paperwork for our thriller because it helps us schedule and organise the filming times and dates and what we need to do in the process of filming. Also, it helps us confirm with the location and actors/actresses in the making of the thriller, which is professional.

Production Schedule: Summary of exactly what is going to happen in your filming schedule, which is the time and date. Also, the advantage of doing this is it organises the team/production, allows/provides meaning and understanding for the audience. This document should be given to everyone in your filming team and cast so they have all the information they need about your thriller (times/dates).

 

Location Recce: A summary of the location that you have decided to use for your thriller. This document should be given to everyone in your filming team so they all have the information.

 

Risk Assessment: An analysis of your location, and you need to identify what risks might arise and how you plan to overcome them. This document should be given to everyone in your filming team so they all have the information they need to about location and risks. This is a legal document. Need to show an analysis of your location and calculate the risks.

 

Client Release Form: A legal document that discusses the terms and agreements for any actors in your thriller. This document should be given to everyone who will be a part of your cast. Need to show an analysis of your location and calculate risks.

 

 

Location Release Form: A legal document that discusses the terms and agreements  for the company/council/people that are allowing you to film in their location. This document should be given to company/council/people to show that you have agreed to the terms and conditions. Need to show that you have understood yours and their rights.