Our production

Our production:

Preliminary task – our first task was to come up with a story line, which we found a challenge making it something interesting and thrilling. The brief said we needed 4 lines of dialogue, with someone walking into a room and sitting at a chair. We decided the best way to go about this would be to come up with a thriller story and find how we could put in the dialogue and chair into the scenario we had come up with. We ended up deciding that someone walking into a room, and the turning of a key. When the key is turn blood appears on the door and on the hand, when walking into a room a flashback of a man held hostage is shown, then bought into the current situation of a deal between 2 men – where the dialogue is transferred. We decided that the use of with flashbacks and jump cuts would be best, as we could have the scene we wanted with the hostage, and then add in the necessary components in order to meet the brief.

Filming of our preliminary – For our filming, we found it difficult to choose a location. We decided on the drama studio because we could use the lighting and effects. We left it quite late to film, so the beginning bit of walking into a room and the turning of a key on a door section didn’t look how we planned it, as we couldn’t find a room with a lock, so ended up using a cupboard which, not surprisingly, looked awful, but had run out of time to re-film. We learned from this to allow more time for filming and try and film quickly so the editing could be done to its best. We found that the lighting setting in the drama studio could be used really effectively and so we could make our hostage section look really thrilling. From this we took that the hostage scenes work well and then we could try and incorporate one into our final piece.

Editing of our preliminary – in the editing we found that it is useful to have extra filming either side of the clip, so you can decide exactly when it best to cut it and use short extra bits of footage if they look good, and so in the our final piece we knew to film 3 seconds before and after each clip. We also found that those scenes where we had lots of shots of the same thing to chose from worked better as we could chose which one looked better, or put more than 1 together. We found it difficult to edit quickly, but getting to know final cut express was useful especially for our final piece. We didn’t incorporate much sound into our preliminary task, as so it seemed a little bare, we could then use this in our final piece as we knew it was important that the soundscape and music choices used were important and could change how the whole filming came across. We also established that even only filming for a 30 second clip takes a lot of shots, and timing in a clip – a lot must happen in a short space of time, and so we then know there was a lot we needed to film and storyboard for.

Final piece – just as it came to coming up with a story for our main piece, unfortunately one group member Harry, became very ill, and so had to have time off school. This was a big issue for us as we had no idea when he would be able to come back to school and had to carry on without him. We found making up a storyline difficult, as there was no brief and could be whatever we wanted, and so allowed freedom. Every idea we came up with, we found a flaw in the plan and it was difficult to elaborate into a bigger story that could last a whole film. We changed our minds a few times, but decided on a basic storyline of a character in the morning waking up and getting ready for work. When the post comes, there’s an image of a captured woman with a code written on the back, following this, the main character goes to work and asks his boss. The boss pretends not to know anything, but being the ‘actual helper’ it was him who put the image through his door in the first place. The female been taken hostage is his boss’s mistress, and the capturer is his wife, however he can’t free the hostage, because he can’t admit to his wife he knows she’s taken her, as he just want to end it with the mistress, and so he gets the completely unaware and unrelated ‘guy from work’ who is then thrown into this abnormal situation. The unexpected twist at the end is that the mistress and the wife have been working together the whole time, and are trying to harm the boss. We then storyboarded this, and after finished storyboarding, it came that harry could come back to school, which was quite good timing.

Planning the filming – we were trying to think of where would be the best place to film, and we decided the best place to start would be the morning sequence. We discovered that Harry’s house would be best as there was a clear view of the post box from where the breakfast area was, which key to our filming.  For the actor we needed an older male, and a ‘icy blond’ female. We decided that Laura would be perfect for the female, and jack would be perfect for the male. We had trouble finding a male the right age, but then thought that whilst through our clips we had decided we didn’t want to see his face, as we thought it would build more tension, and so we decided it would be alright to have jack as our main character. We then decided that the rest could be again filmed in the drama studio to get the hostage shots. We also had a list of props we would need, which included :

·         Bowl/cup

·         Bran flakes

·         Envelope

·         Image of hostage

·         Milk

·         Alarm clock

·         Business books/stationary

·         Empty toilet roll

·         Duct tape

Filming – when we were filming, we filmed initially at harry’s. When were all together, we did as much as we needed. We used the tripod for most of the shots, but for a few we needed a steadi-cam look and so had to be hand held. We then left the camera with harry so he could get and last shots needed of at home and then started editing what we had. Next we filmed the hostage shot, but had a limited time because of availability of the drama studio, however we got the shots we needed and then began editing.

Editing – we then came to editing our piece, and Harry and Mitch added in the typing as well, we used final cut express, which allowed us to add in dissolves and transitions and effects such as black and white for the hostage bit. We found that it was difficult to get the timing right with the sounds and the editing took the longest bit. When editing we found that we only had about a minute and a half of clips and it needed to be 2 minutes and we needed to add more. Here we discussed more morning shots we could incorporate and then we started to film again.

Choosing a name for the thriller – this was a difficult decision and through research found that ‘Stockholm syndrome’ is a noun for a hostage closely connected to its capturer, we found that this was really appropriate and it would also make the audience question. While adding this in, we also put in all the writing onto the clips, adding times to show the time shifts throughout the opening sequence.

Sounds – We tried various soundscape and music choices for our thriller and then decided we wanted a radio clip, and this allowed us to have music playing through the background. We researched different radio stations and decided the style we wanted, choosing a local radio station and a 60’s song – as to be copyright free. We then asked Dom to do the voiceover and sorted out the different volumes and tracks, as well as the radio tuning effects we wanted adding in. When we added this to our main production, we then had to change the volume of the backing of all the clips and change some timing to make it fit, but just adding the sound improved the whole piece dramatically.

More filming and editing – we then decided we still needed more clips, and so filmed more clips of the opening sequence to put in. We also decided that the editing wasn’t right and the order of the shots wasn’t right. Adding the backing and adding the more clips made the whole piece a lot better and we got it up to 2 minutes.

Ellie

Storyboard

This is our story board:

This is the first page of our storyboard. We wanted to fade in from black to a cutting shot of an alarm clock. We had a red table to demonstrate danger and evoke the risks and threats to come. The shot of the alarm clock uses the rule of 3, and positions the alarm clock in the middle of the shot. The analogue clock demonstrates what the character is like and shows his old-fashioned style. The next shot is his legs appearing out of bed. This builds tension as his face isn’t revealed. The shot of the socks shows the 'Tuesday', when the typewriter shows that it’s actually Thursday, also revealing his character being 'dopey' and that he's a bit dense.

This is the next page of our story board; the next shot is a shot of the shower - another quick shot to demonstrate he’s getting ready for work. The next shot we didn’t use, of his spraying deodorant. Instead we used a shot of his trousers on the toilet and his hand reaching for toilet roll. We also used a shot of a toothbrush being put in a glass, the rule of thirds being used and the light through the glass and lighting the shot.  We also then had him tiding up his shoe laces, showing how he’s getting ready for work, the quick editing of the shots and series of jump cuts builds tension and shows his getting ready - evoking how he's not concentrating and could be quite vulnerable, the lack of decisions he needs to make shows how he is in his own little world, and reinforces that he is an 'ordinary person in an extraordinary situation' conforming to Alfred Hitchcock’s theory.



The next shots we used were of the breakfast cereal. We began with an over the shoulder shot of him pouring the cereal, and then a shot of his pouring the milk. The surrounding books and pens show his workaholic character and the choice of cereal of 'bran flakes' we felt represented the type of person he was. We decided to add in the radio shot here as well, allowing him to hear the news and for a song to be played diagetically and off screen. This also allowed him to be shown listening to a local radio station and the 60s song shows more about his personality.

We then had a point of view, over the shoulder shot of the door and letter box. the lighting appearing quite dark to suggest the tension and suspense. We wanted a focus pull, but because of the distance this was hard to establish and so decided to add in short clips of the hostage, to make the audience question and wonder. The letter then appears through the door and the character is seen walking over. There is then an over the shoulder shot, explain in an earlier blog post, in which was had an interesting shot of an envelope. The then reveals the shot of a hostage, with the picture in black and white. There’s then a zoom and a jump cut to the hostage, allowing the audience to be separated from the central character, and the character who doesn’t know what’s going on is then positioned lower than the audience as he is less aware than them, creating a connection between the audience and character.

Finally we then had drastic shots of the hostage, where an icy blond - a typical character featured in Alfred Hitchcock films, appears to be captured. There were different views of the hostage, evoking chaos and there’s a shot directly through her feet, showing another female character walking past, keeping her hostage. We had shots of her hands and different angles, but decided it would be more effective to just have 2 varied shots and cut between them.

Ellie.

Music and soundscape.

For out thriller, we needed a backing track. We decided to have off-screen, diagetic sound. We decided that related to the morning theme, we wanted to use a radio theme. We then decided we didn’t think our character was a ‘morning radio’ type of character, but through watching the opening sequence of I-Robot, I thought that the song was effective and watching this I thought we could bring this technique and contrapuntal music type into our thriller. We could also suggest the type of character he is, through the song choice and radio choice. It also meant that we could include talking through the radio presenter to help set the scene about the missing girl and create tension. We used a 1960’s song called ‘all I want to do’ by the Byrds. We chose this, as it is over 50 years old and therefore copyright free. We used this as we felt the upbeat tempo contrasted with the thrilling atmosphere. We chose our name of our radio station to be ‘Pulse FM’. We felt that our character would listen to a local radio station and then could here the news of the missing female whilst eating his breakfast. The radio presenter starts off upbeat and happy, contrasting to his mood and then cuts through to a serious news story, which the radio presenter casually looks over. The lexis choices that the radio presenter uses, for example ‘lovely crisp feeling in the air’ implies the pleasant feel. The low lexical register connects with the audience and the synthetic personalization of talking to ‘you’ allows a connection with the audience. The collective pronoun ‘us’ shows how the audience are together with the presenter., and how his tone of voice and passion is transferred through and picks up the audience. The contrast through the seriousness of the newsreader shows the importance of the news story and its relevancy. It also reflects that it’s a crucial part of the film and that more formal tone and higher lexical register shows to the audience the seriousness. The radio effects show he’s listening to an older style fashioned ‘tuning’ station, rather than a digital radio, evoking his old fashioned personality and how he’s stuck in the past and his characteristics. 

this is the song we used - All i really wanna do, the byrds.

Our script
Radio presenter:

 Hello and good morning! It’s another sunny day here in Somerset, you’re tuned into pulse FM on 94.3, its 7.28am and a gorgeous 22 degrees with a lovely crisp feeling in the air, and I can tell it’s going to be a good day. Now over the Nigel Thompson who has some breaking news for us...

News Presenter:

        Thank you Chris, welcome to pulse FM news, its 7.29 am and I’m Nigel Thompson. Our main story today is that there has been a development into the whereabouts of Sophie Matthews who was reported missing on Monday 19th February. The police have issued a statement asking anyone who has any information please to come forward immediately to the local authorities. Now back to your scheduled radio broadcast.   

Radio presenter:

        Thank you very much for that Nigel. Now I’m gunna play you a little diddy called all I want to do is water your garden… enjoy.

Ellie.

The Use of Barthes Code by Quentin Tarantino and Alfred Hitchcock

The Use of Barthes Code by Quentin Tarantino and Alfred Hitchcock

Roland Barthes was another influential figure in the narrative and film world. The Frenchman was a renowned philosopher and critic that developed his five narrative codes. These codes can be applied and woven into any narrative structure. As a result we have tried to apply his 20th century philosophical theories on film into our narrative , and I have also decided to relate his ideas to two important directors in the thriller genre , Alfred Hitchcock and Quentin Tarantino.

The Hermeneutic Code (HER)

The Hermeneutic code or Enigma code describes any part of a film that is not fully explained to the viewer. This is adopted throughout most thrillers and is key to entertaining the viewer and withholding tension. The Hermeneutic code is expressed using one or more of the following three techniques:

Snares:  This is when the truth in a production is purposely avoided by either the narrative structure or by how the characters react to certain situations.

Equivocations: This technique is used to give the viewer partial or often incomplete answers as to how the film will end. For example , in Tarantino’s  film ‘Reservoir Dogs’ The narrative is played using a non linear narrative fashion , which impacts on the viewers understanding of the events taking place. This links to using equivocations as the viewer partially understands what is happening after the diamond heist goes wrong , but still leaves them in the dark about many of the issues raised when the film is edited in an unorthodox fashion. Similarly to Reservoir Dogs , our film will use equivocations to engage the viewers and keep them entertained throughout. As our film starts , our main character receives a letter through his door with a hostage picture attached. At this point we have purposely adopted the use of ‘snares’ as this act offers the viewer no reason as to why the event occurred and the narrative structure avoids answering the question until a further point i the movie. However, as the film plot develops and evolves, bringing in new characters such as the main characters boss , who offers unclear and distorted answers to the characters question , equivocations are used. The viewer begins to extend their knowledge of the film slowly , yet are not given a clear answer as to how the hostage situation will be resolved.

Jammings: This is when the narrative structure makes it clear that there is no answer to a problem. Similarly to the uses of snares in our media production we have used jammings in the earlier scenes to convince both the main character and the viewer that no matter what the characters actions are , there will be no clue as to whether the disequilibrium will be resolved , and whether the main character will get any closer to answering the questions raised in the first scene after receiving the hostage letter through the door. It is only until further points in the film , such as meeting the main characters boss, that the use of jammings will be substituted with the use of equivocations as explained previously. The final scenes of the movie will help the viewer understand , and this is also when the plot if tied off and closure on the narrative structure can be attained.

The Proairetic Code (ACT)

Along with the Hermeneutic code, the Proairetic code is also used in film to create tension through the use of actions and activities performed by the main character throughout the film. Barthes described that these two codes work together to build and create tension in a film and keep the viewer interested for the events about to follow. A quote from Barthes about the Proairetic and Hermeneutic codes states:

 ‘Two sequential codes: the revelation of truth and the coordination of the actions represented: there is the same constraint in the gradual order of melody and in the equally gradual order of the narrative sequence.’

In Hitchcock’s production ‘Rope’ the use of actions helps raise tension also. Brandon and Philip murder their friend David Kently and place him inside a chest. This is not the act that builds tension for the viewer as it occurs in the first scene and tension is not built up and released in a traditional Hitchcock style. Yet the action that follows creates suspense for the viewer throughout the rest of the film. Brandon and Philip host a dinner party with the chest inside the same room. The camera angles create suspense as the chest stays in shot for the majority of the film , which makes the audience wonder whether a guest will eventually unearth what is hidden within. Further actions taken by the pair create tension such as placing the food for the party on top of the chest.

Much like Rope , our production aims to use the Proairetic code through the actions taken by the main character and the secondary characters around him. For example, the action in the first scene of the unmarked letter coming through the door will create tension as it leads the viewer into the unknown. The audience are suddenly transformed with he main character from a state of normality into a disequilibrium. Further actions we have adopted for our film for our character to take will create tension also. For example, using the main characters boss as a secondary character that eventually becomes more of a hindrance than a help will be used to create suspense. Our main character will need his help to unearth clues to the narrative , yet the vagueness of his answers will leave the viewer wanting the plot to evolve.

The Semantic Code (SEM)

The semantic code creates tension and suspense in the thriller by the use of connotations of certain features in the narrative such as props and dialogue. The connotation of certain features in the film will delve into greater meaning of different symbols within the production. For our film specific symbols and props will employ connotations that keep the viewer entertained. For example, the letter through the door that disrupts the sense of normality in the first scene will have a number code attached to the back of it. The denotations of this is just sequenced numbers , yet the connotations will fuel and develop the story into further points. For example, these numbers have connotations of such things as:

·         Phone Numbers

·         Map co-ordinates

·         Pin codes

·         Door Codes

·         Bar codes

·         Address

Our main character will need to develop an understanding of what the codes on the back of the photo mean , and there are so many connotations linked to this plot will allows us real freedom when developing a narrative. When the viewer first watches the opening of the letter from a P.O.V shot this also places them in the main character s viewpoint and allows them to feel similar emotions . When the envelope is open ,the hostage picture will have connotations that will evolve the plot also and keep the viewer entertained. The hostage situation seen will give the viewer connotations and feelings of urgency and pressure for the main character to solve the mystery. The fact that the picture can be seen at the moment unforeseen of times follows Hitchcock’s rule of releasing tension at an unexpected moment.

The Symbolic Code (SYM)

The symbolic code is similar to the semantic code. It once again delves into the connotations of what certain features of a film mean , but offers no definite answer as to what certain aspects are meant to connotate to. In fact Roland Barthes often suggested that under the symbolic theory unlike the semantic theory , connotations of props etc can actually mean the opposite to what the viewer expects them to.

For example, in Alfred Hitchcock’s film ‘Rope’ the murder Brandon and Philip commit has connotations to the viewer of a wrongful act and being liable by law. However, as the film develops , the pair try to attempt the perfect murder by hosting a dinner party straight afterwards.  During the film , the two seem to have followed their plan and there are looking successful. This uses the symbolic code because murder is does not connotate into punishment here, yet achievement and victory for the two main characters. Using the symbolic code in situations like this plays with the audiences mind as they will expect one thing to happen within the narrative , yet another occurs.

Similarly to Hitchcock’s film ‘Rope’ we will use Barthes’ symbolic code in our production. For example, the scene in which the letter is opened and the hostage picture is recognised , this has connotations of danger and a sense of urgency. However, as the plot and narrative evolves , it tests the viewers understanding of what is occurring in the film. This is because the hostage situation has deeper meaning than just a normal one , as the plot jumps into other territories such as a struggling marriage and a bosses affair. This contradicts the simple connotations of  a hostage situation and helps make our thriller movie intense and dramatic.

The Cultural Code (REF)

The cultural code can also refer to props and symbols within the film. It mostly refers to symbols related to science or religion, although other canons such as magical truths may be used in fantasy stories. When these images are seen in films their connotations are not challenged and only connotate to traditional views.

For example ,  in Quentin Tarantinos production of Pulp Fiction, a religious speech is quoted by Samuel.L.Jacksons hit man character Jules right before he kills another character. The quote is front he bible and is as follows:

‘and I will execute great vengeance upon them with furious rebukes; and they shall know that I am the Lord, when I shall lay my vengeance upon them.’

This quote uses the cultural Barthes cultural code as the words within such as ‘vengeance’ and ‘execute’ only have connotations of violence and death. Jules proceeds to kill the secondary character. What Barthe is trying to explain by the cultural code is that when using symbols from certain areas such as religion or science, only one connotation can be understood and is used within a production.

The 5 codes expressed by Barthe are used in all narrative to build tension and is adopted by directors to influence how much or how little they want the viewer to understand their production.  In our media production we aim to adopt some of these 5 codes as it will enable us to create a tense and suspense filled thriller that viewers will be entertained and hooked by.

Mitchell

British Board of Film Classification

 The BBFC is an organisation set up to regulate the moving image; such as film, DVD, video and some video games. For some of these, the BBFC is under statutory requirements to classify and regulate under the Video Recordings Act 2010. Despite this, they do not purely regulate the moving image because of statutory designated authority but also because they serve a socially useful function. 

Regulating the moving image gives the public information about it prior to the actual viewing, this potentially protects vulnerable viewers from viewing unsuitable or damaging content. There are a set of guidelines, which are updated every four years, that help the BBFC make appropriate classification decisions. These guidelines are accumulated by extensive public research, consultation and experience. They ask questions concerning issues such as language, discrimination, violence, sex and drugs.

U

This stands for 'universal' and is suitable for all ages to watch and has no restrictions whatsoever.  The BBFC stated that a 'U' film should be suitable for anybody over the age of four, and these films should "be set within a positive moral framework and should offer reassuring counterbalances to any violence, threat or horror."

The BBFC has set a list of things that are permitted in a 'U' rated moving image:-
Theme: Problematic themes must be sensitive and appropriate to the younger audience.

Language: Limited use of very mild 'bad language'.

Nudity: Occasional natural beauty not related to anything sexual.Sex: Mild sexual behaviour and references; eg kissing. 

Violence: Mild violence only.

Imitable techniques: No emphasis on realistic weapons.

Horror: Horror effects should be mild and brief and the outcome should be reassuring.

Drugs: No references to illegal drugs or drug use whatsoever. 

PG

Parental Guidance.

The BBFC stated that this was suitable for an audience over the age of 8, however it is advised that the content of the moving image is still assessed by parents beforehand. The 'PG' rating was created to emphasise that it was the parents decision to what they allowed their children to watch, but it was not required that parents had to watch with them. 

The BBFC has set out a list of things that are permitted in a 'PG' rated moving image:-

Theme: More serious issues are allowed to be included; such as crime, domestic violence, racism etc.

Language: More frequent use of mild 'bad language'.

Nudity: Natural nudity with no sexual references.

Sex: Discrete mild sexual activity can be implied.

Violence: Very little violence may be allowed.

Imitable techniques: No emphasis or glamorisation of weapons. 

Horror: Short frightening sequences may be allowed.

Drugs: No references to illegal drugs or drug use unless shown to be entirely harmless.

12

The BBFC introduced this as they realised there had to be something in between 'PG' and '15' certificates. It was defined as the following:
'Passed only for persons of twelve years and over. No person apparently under the age of 12 years shall be admitted to any exhibition at which there is to be shown any film which has received a '12' certificate from the British Board of Film Classification.'

The BBFC has set out a list of things that are permitted in a '12' rated moving image:-

Theme: Mild mature themes are acceptable.
Language: Occasional use of strong language with justification.
Nudity: Occasional nudity with mild and discrete sexual content.
Sex: Sexual activity may be implied.
Violence: Violence without detail. Sexual violence may only be implied or briefly indicated without physical detail.
Imitable techniques: Weapons should not be glamorised and dangerous techniques should not be imitable.
Horror: Sustained threat and menace is permitted..
Drugs: Brief use or reference to mild illegal drug taking (eg cannabis) with justification and including the dangers involved.

12A

This rating overtook the '12' after a 2 week trial in Norwich accompanied by extensive audience research. The set list guidelines are same as the previous rating but persons under the age of twelve are permitted to watch whilst in company of a responsible adult guardian. The definition of a 'responsible adult guardian' is wide-spread and does not strictly have to be the child's parents; it can be another family member or close family friend, too.

15

The '15' certificate is currently defined as the following:-
 'Passed only for persons of fifteen years and over. No person apparently under the age of 15 years shall be admitted to any exhibition at which there is to be shown any film which has received a '15' certificate from the British Board of Film Classification.'

The BBFC has set out a list of things that are permitted in a '15' rated moving image:-
Theme: No theme banned as long as it is suitable for people aged 15.
Language: Frequent use of strong language allowed.
Nudity: Nudity is not prohibited.
Sex: Sexual activities are permitted but with little detail.
Violence: Strong violence permitted, scenes of sexual violence must be brief and discrete.
Imitable techniques: Dangerous combat techniques are unlikely to be acceptable. No emphasis on the use of easily accessible lethal weapons.
Horror: Sustained or detailed infliction of pain or injury is unacceptable.
Drugs: Drug use must not be promoted and clear instructions on consumption is prohibited.

18

The '18' certificate has been defined as the following:-
'Passed only for persons of eighteen years and over. No person apparently under the age of 18 years shall be admitted to any exhibition at which there is to be shown any film which has received a '18' certificate from the British Board of Film Classification.'

The BBFC has set out a list of things that are permitted in a '18' rated moving image:-

Having thoroughly analysed the set guidelines for each of the levels of certificates available for a moving image, I have come to the conclusion that our thriller piece is going to be  rated a 15 certificate. I chose this level of certificate because I believe that the most suitable list of boundaries lies with the '15' more so than any other certificate. Our thriller addresses issues such as kidnap, adultery, violence and danger to such a degree that viewers under the age of 15 may feel vulnerable and find some of the scenes unsettling and damaging. However, I felt that the certificate '18' was unsuitable for our thriller as the potentially unsettling scenes mentioned previously are not presented to such a graphic extent that total teenage viewers are unsuitable.


Ivana

Coen Brothers - 'Barton Fink' Guestbook Shot

In our over-the-shoulder letter shot, we tried to incorporate the Coen Brothers style of filming. Following the style of directing from the well-known ‘Barton Fink’, which showed a close up point of view shot of a spinning guest book. This proved aesthetically pleasing. Whilst the guestbook was being spun, the camera movement was rotating in the opposite direction, making the audience feel contempt with what they were consuming and an overwhelming sense of satisfaction. (0.25-8)

We wanted to transfer this feeling to our audience by using this kind of peculiar filming style in our final piece. We decided to use this in our a shot where our main character was opening a letter, this demonstrates the importance of it and how the ‘normal’ object will play such a significant part to our storyline. Also conforming to the theory that establishes a thriller, which Alfred Hitchcock said to be placing an “ordinary person in an extraordinary situation.”

Original clip of letter

After filming our shot for the first time, when we came to edit we noticed that there was flaring of the camera lens. The camera was unable to adjust to the sudden changes in the light, and the variance in the lighting caused the camera to not catch the shot in the way we intended. The change in light caused the camera to catch the glare through the windowpane and as a result, the letter switched between light and dark, due to the shadowing.

Next clip

We then re-filmed the shot, ensuring the camera flaring would not occur again. We prevented this by keeping the lighting consistent throughout the shot, holding the envelope at a steady angle away from the windowpane, removing the chance of the sunlight and shadows affecting the shot and transferring the chaotic light changes onto the envelope. It is essential to achieve the full potential of this shot as in this part the image of the hostage is revealed, and this is the starting point of where the extraordinary events will begin to occur, shaping the story for the “ordinary” character.

Ivana and Ellie

I-Robot Waking up scene ( 1 min 41 - 3 min 11)

We are filming our opening series in a similar way to how the opening of I-Robot is filmed, in that a series of quick shots that seam unconnected to build a plot line. The fast editing builds tension and create suspense.

(analysed from 1 min 41 - 3 min 11)

The establishing shot of him in a bed uses the Rule of 3, placing his face in the centre of the screen, using the third lines as his side of his head. The eye line if in the top third and chin is in the bottom, so it’s appealing to the audiences’ eye, and watchable. The diagetic off screen alarm clock noise allows the audience to understand that the beginning sequences were a dream or not in the same reality. As he rolls over to reveal the time the mid shot reveals he has a gun showing the opposite side to his character. The lighting used shows the lighting on half his face, showing he has a double personality and has good and bad sides. The next shot uses lighting to show the dark side of the room, and the open door adds suspense and tension. He is on the left side of the screen, using the rule of 3 and his facial expression lets the audience know he’s in pain. The pie in the shot n the side of his bed suggest to the audience his characteristics and tells a story, showing the disorganized personality. It then zooms in and the jump cut to the mid shot, from the back which zooms back out, allowing the audience to appreciate the context, and shows his room and its contents zooming out to a long shot. This shows his everyday lifestyle and what his normality is. The eerie parallel non-diagetic soundscape creates tension and suspense and keeps the audience watching. There is then a straight cut to a low angle of him and also using the lighting to place him above the audience. His right shoulder is highlighted evoking how the story has a dark and light side, zooming in and stressing his strength and muscular tone. The straight cut to the stereo exposes it playing ‘superstitious,’ which is contrapuntal to go with the ‘tension’ building aspects of the film and makes the audience question. The song suggests faith in magic and chance and links to irrational thoughts, evoking the tone of the film and how the storyline is twisted and illogical. The rule of thirds allows is again used to position the stereo in the centre if the shot and the lighting cast a shadow, linking to the ‘superstitious’ and peculiar choice of song.  The next shot is a high angled swooping shot tilting to a low angle to show him eating and to show his power. it then cuts to him doing weights, showing his power and masculinity. The empty look on his face suggests he is stuck in a rut in his life and that the storyline will take him out of his normality and into as the narrative theory states, out of normality into ‘disequilibrium.’ His straight arm horizontally abducting shows his strength and power, reinforced by the low and age of the mid shot. The tracking shot across the apartment goes across the pole in the room, showing how it’s cutting into a different situation. His strong pose in the shower shows his masculinity and the lighting behind evokes his almost angelic and god-like, showing his superior. The gun on the shower rail shows he’s threatening and how he lacks trust. It zooms to a low angled close up, showing him singing along with water dripping off his face. The fact he’s singing on shows his normality but still appears threatening. The next shot is a bird’s eye view of his room shows he lives alone from the single armchair and suggests he might feel lonely at times but can’t show it due to the fact he must put on a ‘tough guy’ front. The next shot shows his converses, an expensive brand of shoes, mainly worn by younger people, evoking his youth that he cares about his style and appearance. There is a straight cut to a mid shot of him admiring the converses. The grey plain jumper demonstrates his simple style and grey suggests a dark or sinister side to him. Then there’s a slow zoom, cutting to a close up of his foot, whilst he neatly ties his shoe.  The tilting shot then goes t his face, from a low angle where he says ‘thing of beauty’ which is the only dialogue in the whole intro. The final shot is of him walking down the stairs. It pans round to reveal him with a long coat and that on showing his business like character.

We are using a similar filming style for our introduction to introduce the character and set the scene. This allows the audience to establish the setting and understand the context of the film, whilst getting to know the main character as a whole.  Before watching I-Robot, we had the idea to film a series of quick shots of him getting up in the morning, using quick editing to building tension. The first shot is of the alarm clock, showing him waking up, similar to in I-Robot. The rule of thirds is used, with the clock at a slight tilt making it appealing to the eye and easy to watch. The red table in the shot shows danger and evokes panic. In I-Robot, the alarm clock was red, also showing the danger and panic. Next we have a series of waking up shots, none of which show our actors face to create a sense of mystery. In initial ideas, we had the thought of having a digital alarm, coming on to the radio, and an upbeat parallel upbeat song, showing how the mood drastically changes. We decided we would refer an analogue clock, to evoke the type of old-fashioned, slightly dim, bit-of-a-loser, unlucky type of character, which is very different o the character portrayed by will smith. And by using a similar style of shots it allows the audience to establish the characteristics he possesses and what makes him who he is. We didn’t want his to be turning on a stereo and so decided the song playing would be better to be non-diageticly, and he would get ready in silence. When we filmed it we only had a few clips, showing him waking up to the alarm, taking his feet out of bed, and then a shot of the shower. We then had him pouring breakfast when the letter comes through the post. From watching I-Robot, it was evident we needed more clips of longer clips to make it more effective, filming in a similar style to that. The entire wake up scenario from I-Robot lasts approximately 90 seconds, whereas ours was only about 30 seconds long. We decided to add in more clips, also allowing us to re-film the letter part.

Ellie