Possible Filming Locations

Above is a graph of possible filming locations that my pair have come up with. We outlined the advantages and disadvantages allowing us to see which has most strengths. We will also be taking pictures of each location to help with a visual view on how each setting will look. According to what is listed above, it is likely that we will be filming in Blackheath for the walking and running scenes and at my house for when the murderer picks up the knife.

Font Research & Experimentation

Within film (production company, film title, subtitles etc), there are a variety of fronts used for a range of reasons. Fonts are a broad topic with many of things to consider, such as bold, italic, serif, sans serif etc. the font alone can help identify what type of film/genre and determine roughly what audience is more likely to notice and be enticed by it. It can make a film seem boring and basic or exiting. Thrillers tend to have quite large, noticeable fonts. Most of the time the fonts used are quite basic/simple fonts, however sometimes they go for a 'handwritten/crafty' font. Another quite obvious example in terms of fonts is action films. These films tend to use italic fonts to show movement. The italics set a subliminal illusion of fast motion, making it effective for action films as speed is a convention of this genre. Below are a few examples of action film titles;

More importantly and targeted at my work, I have even more examples of thrillers, allowing myself to take notes and help me choose the font for my thriller and production company:

In the small sample of thriller title texts/fonts, other than 'Seven' and 'The Sixth Sense' which come across fairly hand written and 'When A Stranger Calls' which is the anomalie of the sample as the text isn't bold and slightly uses serifs, it is clear that most of the titles is styled in big, bold, clear lettering. I think this is effective as it draws attention to the title rather than just its surroundings. These types of fonts allow the text to be strong enough to stand out among the mise-en-scene as well as making a bold statement for the movie. In effect, it makes the audience more likely to look at and remember the name of the movie, as it's fairly big and very clear for them to see. Alternatively, quite a few titles use a handwritten styled font, such as 'Seven' and 'The Sixth Sense'. To an extent, this font would be useful when a film is pretty much being told by someone, completely from their point of view,as if they're writing the story. The font alone gives the film a personal touch. Furthermore, although 'When A Stranger Calls' is an anomalie in my sample, it may be reasonable to not be a big or bold as the others. As this title is slightly longer than most, it may take up too much space if is were the same or similar font as the others.

In terms of colours, they are either really bright or dull and dark. Most of the time when the colours are bright (usually yellow or white) allowing them to stand out even more from the background which is usually black or really dark. Sometimes the colour is red, symbolising danger, death and blood. On the other hand, they can be dark and dim, possibly portraying what may be coming in the movie isn't going to be bright and cheery. 'Unknown' uses two colours in the title, breaking the word up into two words: 'UNKNOWN'. This puts emphasis on the word 'known' as well as the word 'unknown' which are antonyms as their meanings are opposites, confusing the audience (which thrillers tend to do). This is an example of exactly how much colour can have an impact on a title and what the audience may interpret from it. This, along with different fonts, thicknesses etc can have this same affect.

For my thriller, the font I am inspired most by is 'BLACK ROCK'. The font itself is a classic and simple font. Though, what I like most about it is not only is it really clear (due to the spacing) but also the red implies 'danger' and 'blood' which are two very important features of my opening. Contrasted against the black background allows the text to stand out further, as if it is jumping at you. Along woth help from the website dafont.com, I have chosen a few examples for the opening title and production title for my project. All of the fonts have their strengths and weaknesses and are all quite different. However there is a common pattern in all of my favorite ones.

Film Name Fonts;

1. This font is called 'Glass House' by Digital Graphic Labs.

This font seems to represent letters with a shattered effect. This would be effective as I plan to do shots of the murderer looking in the mirror. This font could imply that he's broken the mirror, or that he's 'shattered' the victims life. The reason we may not use this font is because we intend to go for a more simplistic look,similar to the other thriller fonts I researched.

2. This is 'Random House' by Janice Faucher.
This font has a stalker effect to it, as it is often stalkers cut up letters of a variety of fonts and put them together to make fonts. This would be useful for the opening as the murderer initially stalks the victim, before killing her. In relation to my research, similar to the way 'Seven' and 'The Sixth Sense' adds a personal touch to the title, this font also seems as if the murderer done it. However, this doesn't really fit with the story line, as the murderer doesn't want to be in or admit this.

3. 'MB HorrorHouse' by Irina ModBlackmoon.
At first, I though this would be a good font for the opening. It represents a shock or explosion of some type. However, this has no relation to the film so it is unlikely that we will use this one.

4.  This is 'The Gingerbread House' by Christopher Hansen.
To me, this style of font is more for a children's scary movie. However, the reason i chose to add it to my collection of 'favorite fonts' is because is still has that 'scary affect'. I feel that children would respond better to this font than adults. As our target audience is young adults to mature adults, it is also unlikely that we will be using this font.

5. This font is called 'AlphaShapes Houses' By Fonts & Things.
This font relates very much to the actual title of the opening, Mad House, as each letter is on a house. However, similar to the font above, it comes across quite childish and not a font you would expect to see in a thriller. For these reasons, this font will not be used.

6. 'Crazy Killer' by The Font Emporium.
I think this would be a fantastic font for the film. This also adds the personal, handwritten feel to the title. Although this font looks hand written, it also seems as if it has been written by someone who is angry. I think this font would work well with my film. However, I would prefer a thicker, bolder font that would stand out even more.

7. This font is 'Surviour Series' by Jayde Garrow.
What I like most about this font is that in my opinion, it stands out the most. The boldness is closely related to the thriller fonts I researched as it it big. It is more likely that we use this font for the opening, possibly in a different colour. What I like most about this font is that it is loud and unmissable. A change in colour would enhance this even more.

Production Name Fonts

1. 'Clocker' by Tipografia Leone.
This is one of my favorite fonts for my production company. Most of the letters represent a clock, using the arms of a clock to make this obvious. This correlates mostly with my production name as movement of the arms of a clock are what make the 'tic toc' sound. Although I really like this font and think it uses a good technique of the clock arms, the letter C is difficult to recognize and can easily be mistaken for a lower case E. This means that understanding the name and any deeper annotations to it would require too much from its viewers. 

2. This font is called 'Time To Get A Watch' by Melissa Choyce.
This is also one of my favorite fonts for my production name. The use of cogs and bolts (mechanic things, possibly what would be found in a watch) symbolises unity and team work as these parts have to work with each other in order for things to go as they should. However, as the name of my production company is quite long, all the letters seem as if they're too much.This reduces the likelihood of me using this font.

3. This font is 'Grand Prix' by Nick's Fonts.
This font definitely adds a 'traditional film' effect to it. To an extent, this could be to represent the time difference in film, and how now they have developed. In this sense, it would relate to the meaning of my production name as it is all about time. However, the font itself doesn't get across what i would like to get across and limits how much other effects I can add to it.

4. 'Digital 7' by Style-7.
This font simply represents the look of a digital clock. For this reason, it relates to my production name as, as mentioned above, it is all about time. However, the deeper meaning of the 'Tic Toc' aspect would mean that the clock would have to be analogue, as digital clocks don't make the sound effect my production name represents.

6. This font is called 'Roboto Bold' by Google Android Design.
What I like most about this design is the pure simplicity of it. It doesn't say or do too much, leaving a lot of the focus to be on the production logo itself, which i believe will stand out even more and be more recognizable to the viewers. I chose to use the bold version of this font as I believe it still stands out more than the original. As the font isn't too specific, it can be used for a company making films for a variety of genres, not only thrillers.  I will probably be using this font for my production company.

Vlog - Lauren walking and running

This is one of the behind the scenes footage that I've recorded. Here I decided to ask Lauren a few questions with regards to how she feels the filming is going so far.

Animatic

Filming

Today I went filming to shoot Lauren (the victim) running from the killer.

Chosen Loaction

Chosen Location
The decided location to shoot the opening for the thriller is in three places (inside and outside shots): Blackheath Common, my house and my aunts house. Out of all our possible outside locations, we chose Blackheath because of it's numerous strengths offering us a lot to work with. We also chose to go with both of our options of possible inside locations, we hope to split it in a way where the switch in locations won't be obvious to the audience. First I'll discuss our decision for choosing Blackheath. This location is very easily accessible for me (who will be doing the filming) and also offers a lot of the feature we were looking for in our setting. The storyboard of the opening shows that is essential that we have quite long roads, a bus stop and a few passing vehicles (for a sense of normality). Not only this because most of the opening will consist if walking and running/chase scenes, the specifics of the location needed were a must. Due to Blackheath Common having multiple long, quite deserted paths, lengthy roads (with minimal cars), old, deserted nearby houses and plenty street lights to help lighting and emphasise loneliness, this location was the best environment with ideal mise-en-scene. Below is a collection of pictures, experimenting with where in Blackheath we  the location we may use and different shot types with one of the characters in a few shots.

 

In the storyboard there are plenty shots of Lauren walking alone on these long pathways with a few cars passing by. This long road with the advantage of a gate for a sense of 'where does she go from here', and cars passing could build tension in the audience as it not only shows normality but also could frustrate them into wondering why no one is noticing what is happening. Blackheath Common is an ideal location for these elongated paths and minimal cars at evening times. 


We also chose to do our inside shots in both of the locations we originally decided. We decided that we could easily split them, using the strengths alone to film to our advantage. Firstly we will be shooting at my aunts house. The storyboard shows we need shots of Ronnie getting out of bed and shots of him in the bathroom looking into a mirror. These shots are the shots we plan to do at this location. 



For the other inside shots, we chose to film at my house. Here, we will be filming Ronnie getting dressed, going to the kitchen and getting the knife. As my aunts house has a joint kitchen, it would have been harder to get that sense of a complete kitchen and harder to film him coming into the kitchen without getting the other room in it. Also there is more bedroom space here to film him getting dressed.

Possible Problems With Solutions When Filming

I am aware that when filming, there are plenty of things that could go wrong. As a result of this, I have composed a list of things that could possibly disadvantage us in a variety of ways (e.g. sticking to out shooting schedule) with solutions to overcome these problems. Considering we take each solution with precaution, this should eliminate us not being able to film on the days allocated, prevent us having to film on additional days, not have us waste time trying to come up with the solutions on the spot etc.

What Could Go Wrong When Filming

Production Name

To decide on my production company name, I chose three words as a starting point to brainstorm ideas from. These words were 'timing' as we thought this could convey that we do things quickly and don't like to waste time, 'thriller' as is a thriller that we're producing, also there was an option for more 'universal/personal' production names. From these three categories, we came up with relatable words for possible production names. To make it easier to compare and contrast the names, as to which ones I think are better for production company name, is put them into a table format. This would help and allow me to easily, quickly and effectively come up with names that relate to our film or what we're trying to get across. After doing some research into other existing production company names I found out that not all of them are specifically tailored to one type of film or theme, for example, "20th Century Fox". This name isn't aimed at any specific type of film nor genre, however it is a very big production company. For this reason I have a category for personal and/or universal names which can be for any type of film or genre. The other categories I come up with is one for thriller production names as it is a thriller we are producing for this project and the other is timing because within any production company it's good and useful to be accurate with the time to get things done within an efficient timespan. Also that other reason I've got the category timing is because I can easily add effects to make it more into the cinema type of production company when doing a production logo. Using this method of a table with three overlaying topics allows me to experiment with a variety of different words and terms as well as this it allows us to see which compliment our film the most.

After composing this table of names, I began to choose which one was best suited for my film and what I'm trying to get across. The names I liked the most were Sixty Seconds Studios, Paced Productions, Tic Toc Productions, Time In, Global Danon, Scream Out Productions and WhoDunIt for various different reasons. I like both 'Sixty Seconds Studios' and 'Paced Productions' for their alliteration. The triple 'S' and double 'D' would not only make the production name unique, but also give a different feel to the name. However I won't be using any of these as my production name as neither of them portray what my film or what I'm trying to get across. For example, although 'Sixty Seconds Studios' was a nice idea, the name is heavily focused on 'sixty seconds' which doesn't connect with my film, or the production of it. I also liked the name 'Time In' it is phonetic with 'timing' (they sound similar). However this also doesn't portray my film or what we're trying to get across. The concept of 'Global Danon' was to add my personal touch to the name of my groups production company. The name 'Danon' derived from putting 'Daniel' and 'Shanon' together. This name doesn't particularly portray our film, but it does portray unity which we would love to get across.

In my opinion, 'Scream Out Productions' is a good production name simply because it allows us to easily add a relatable sound effect that could eventually become recognisable alone. This name also portrays thrillers as the 'scream out' allows the audience to think of things quite scary, like someone being chased and screaming due to fear (highly common feature in thrillers). For the reasons mentioned above, 'Scream Out Productions' is an option for my production name. Another option for a production name is 'Tic Toc Productions'. I think the name is really productive and unique. The name itself brings many creative ideas to mind, about the background noise, word movement, pictures to use and picture movement. The name allows the individual and their own perspective to take control of the meaning. In general, people will gather that it has something to do with time or a clock due to the onomatopoeia of 'Tic Toc'. However, because that is pretty much all there is to the name, any deeper meaning would be due to how each individual views it. Some may interpret it to be something different than others. For this reason, and the ones mentioned earlier, I would like to have this as my production name. The final production name I really like is 'WhoDunIt'. Many production names have 'Production', 'Studios' or 'Titles' in the name. However I believe this name sounds better without it. For this reason, this name is also different and unique to not only most of the other production names I've chosen, but also other existing production names. The name implies inquisition, but if we continued to make films and the name became known, the implied inquisition will not be needed as people would know 'who done it' without questioning it. Also, the change in the word 'done' to 'dun' means the target audience for this name is more likely to be for a younger crowd that use a lot of 'text language' where shortening and abbreviating words is done often. I also decided to make the name 'WhoDunIt' rather than 'Who Dun It' as it gives the name, this giving the company as sense of unity and fluency. Having each word together metaphorically represents the togetherness and unity of the company making a film.

Overall, from all the names I originally came up with, my final favorite are 'WhoDunIt', 'Scream Out Productions' and 'Tic Toc Productions'. After following careful consideration, I will decide on my production name.

Production Schedule

 

Preliminary Task

Story Board

Interesting Shots

Chosen Film Name

In our proposal, we mentioned a few initial ideas of what we should call our film. These were "The Last One", "Mad House", "Who?", "There's Always One", "Countdown", "My List", "Wrong Headed" and "It's Up To Me". Below, you will see a brainstorm that I composed of each name and reasons why we should and shouldn't use it.

After careful time and consideration we have decided to name our opening "Mad House". Some of the reasons mentioned on the brainstorm as to why we chose if is because it doesn't reveal too much about the film, it's short and to the point and it gives the audience some insight to what the film is about. This name tells the audience instantly the genre of the film, letting them know it's quite a scary film. A name like "Mad House" is unlikely to be used for a family/children's film, science fiction film, romantic film, comedy etc. Another reason decided to show the title of the film after the shots of Maudsley Hospital to show the link.

Shot List

Inspiration

Flight 2012

      

I would like to interpret a section of this into my opening, 1:26 - 3:06. I like the slow zoom into the fridge, then the hand opening it. The idea that he tries to use all his will power to leave the alcohol and put it down , but isn't strong enough and grabs it anyway. I like how he manages to walk away, then there is a close up on the bottle, then a sudden shock when his hand comes and takes it. The silence emphasises every sound which I think is a good idea. I would interpret this into my film by rather than using a bottle, I'd use a knife and rather than using a fridge, I'd use a kitchen draw.

Shutter Island

      

Another aspect I would like to interpret into my opening is the close up and focus on the weapon. This insinuates that a murder is going to occur. The fast that he also puts his feet on the gun could be an implication that he don't care. This is the kind of look and feel I want the murderer in my thriller to have.
The only difference I see between this and my film my thriller is that I intend to use a knife rather than a gun. However, both will  have a few seconds focused on the weapon alone, to install some fear into the audience.

Props and Costume List

On this presentation I have put all of my initial ideas in terms of props and costumes.

This is a more detailed analysis of one of the outfits/costumes for one or my characters, Ronnie. I have chosen strictly black colours to keep the mood somber and unknowing. All of his clothes are quite loose fit and baggy. This is to reduce any restrictions in movement he hay have, allowing him to run freely, space to 'hide the knife' and grab Lauren. Also, this will help fit into the look I'm trying to portray for this character. Wearing all black to this extent means the character will stand out as this isn't your everyday 'casual' outfit. However, in dark lighting, e.g. late evenings (when we will be filming) it should allow him to hide easier. This outfit will also show the viewers that it is unlikely that he is going to/coming from work or anything along them lines. Allowing him to look less like a formal business man and more like a lower/middle class street boy that people want to stay away from, which is the look I am going for. The big jacket is to portray his characters dominance and significance as he will seen bigger and stronger.  Furthermore the all black will show that he has put thought and effort into his outfit but doesn't follow mainstream fashions and trends. He will also be wearing trainers, rather than plimsoles, boots or shoes, to add to the 'street' effect. The combat trousers with multiple pockets could have the audience wondering what he could be hiding in the pockets  and why he would need so many. 

Location Reccee

These are some pictures I took a few pictures of an alleyway I may do some of the filming in. This alley-way in particular is a location possible for filming because it sets the scene of dark and dingy, giving a sense of fear. The darkness implies someone could be hiding anywhere, being unnoticed, perfect for a killer. The barriers at the end of the alley-way could put the victim in danger, as the barriers would be a hazard putting her at risk as it is preventing her escape. Reasons why we may not film here is because it is quite far and it would be difficult to get the right lighting. This is because we would want to film while its fairly dark outside, but as the alley-way is dark regardless, it would be hard to catch the characters.

Proposal

Proposal from shanikamaraj

Analysis of Psychological thriller

What's the lasting impression for the viewer?

Psychological films generally play on people's mind. These are the films where the focus is on the in depth details of the film having an impact the way the audience look at things, constantly trying to unpick things. As a genre, thrillers aren't normally used to make the audience think too deeply about anything, maybe just the plot or who a character is. In a psychological film, it is difficult to see a clear line between what is fictional and what is non-fictional. This is because thing come across a lot more possible than they ever have.  The primary reason for thrillers is to thrill, entertain and raise enigma. Looking further into sub genres, such as psychological thrillers, the secondary purposely made more obvious. There are plenty films that mix psychology and thrillers for a sub genre. Films such as  Taxi Driver (1976), Silence of the Lambs (1991), Fatal Attraction (1987), Memento (2000) and my favourite, The Butterfly Effect. As I have seen quite a few psychological thrillers myself, I have realised that I really enjoy this type of film. I like how they get you thinking and the sense of understanding when the film is finished, even how it continues to sometimes play on your mind after. However, I know that these films may not be everyone best interest. Some people like knowing roughly what is happening or maybe don't want to think too much about a film while watching it. I find that the more recently made thrillers are of a better, more relatable quality, due to constant new technology convergence and more fresh, current ideas. I think the more modern psychological thrillers are more relatable to a wider ranger of people as they portray more realistic features now. I have chosen to look further into The Butterfly Effect.

The Butterfly Effect
This American psychological thriller was produced in 2004 (though there are variations from other years), and  was distributed internationally (the UK to Japan). On my opinion, this film is really interesting and relatable for modern people, as many tend to keep things they don't like 'bottled up'. To allow some insight into the movie, here is the trailer and a short synopsis of the film from IMDb: 

"In the year 1998, Evan Treborn (Ashton Kutcher), who suffered severe sexual abuse and traumas as a boy and a teenager, blacks out frequently, often at moments of high stress. While entertaining a girl in his dorm room, he finds that when he reads from his adolescent journals, he travels back in time, and he is able to "redo" parts of his past, thereby causing the blackouts he experienced as a child. There are consequences to his choices, however, that then propagate back to his present life: his alternate futures vary from college student, to prisoner, to amputee. His efforts are driven by the desire to undo the most unpleasant events of his childhood which coincide with his mysterious blackouts, including saving his childhood sweetheart Kayleigh from being molested by her father and tormented by her sadistic brother. The actions he takes, and those he enables others to take during his blackouts, change the timeline in the new future where he awakes. As he continues to do this he realizes that even though his intentions are good his actions have unforeseen consequences. The assimilation of dozens of years' worth of new memories from the alternate timelines causes him brain damage and severe nosebleeds. Ultimately, he decides that his attempts to alter the past end up only harming those he cares about. But Evan realizes that the main cause of everyone's suffering in all the different timelines is himself.

At the conclusion of the film, Evan purposely travels back in time one final time to the first day he met Kayleigh. By scaring her away, he makes sure that she is never a part of his life, and thus finally succeeds in saving her life. He then destroys all of his journals and memories so that he is not ever tempted again to make any more changes. The film ends eight years in the future with Evan leaving an office building in Manhattan and passing Kayleigh on a crowded sidewalk. They alternately pause and turn after spotting and passing each other. After a moment of hesitation, Evan lets her walk away without speaking to her."



This film appears to be aimed mainly at young adults. The strong language and sexual scenes mean that the film must be atleast a 15/18, for this reason I think their target audience is 16 - 30. They show the main characters at age 7, 13 and 20+, so each age must be relatable to a certain extent. Below is a Prezi I have made showing a deeper look into each of the main characters and their representations. This should help give a reason why I think this is their target audience. The viewers must be able to understand the films concepts and I think this is the best age for it.

Music Inspiration

        

I think this would be a good song to use in my film opening. The beginning is not too overpowering, allowing a narrator to speak over it if we want one, while the victim is walking. Also, The stop of the music stops at 0:46 seconds, we plan to have the transition of victim switching from walking to running. As this happens we plan to fade into a black screen to further build viewers anxiety of what is about to happen. After this, we thought it would be good to have a montage of following shots of the victim running.


I would also like to mix this song into the end, when Lauren (the victim) is running. This is because this music is at a faster pace, allowing more and more tension to build in the audience. Due to the fast pace of the beat, the music should correlate well with Lauren's fast paced running.

We've chosen to use more than one song/item of music to add to the diversity of the film. Personally, I think it would be quite boring simply using one. The mix can also add to the tension of the film as it could throw the audience off task, not knowing what song is next as well as not knowing what is going to happen next. This also isn't music typically listened to by many if the people in our target audience. This could be viewed as a good thing, in the sense that they will feel less in-tune with the film. None if them would have ever heard the songs being mixed as it will be for our opening. Therefore those who do listen to this music, will feel more familiar with the film. Knowing the music may make them feel as if they know what to expect. The mix if them may add to their confusion. 

How To Film People Walking

The 180 Degree Rule
When filming someone walking, there is a number of things to bare in mind. One of them is the main things is the 180 degree rule. This is the idea that the camera filming remains on one side of the characters. This usually reduces confusion of the viewers  as the characters don't switch sides, they stay on the side the viewer originally see them on. When a camera crosses the 'line of action' which connects the two subjects it is called 'crossing the line'. If this happens, shots are often reversed. On the left is a visual example of the 180 degree rule. When the camera passes the straight black line on to where the red line is, the characters switch (as in the red box) and would be standing in reverse.
Variety of Camera Movements
Panning Shot: This is when a camera goes from side to side (panning the room) usually with the use of a tripod for a steady shot. This is an example that I found;




Tracking shot: This is when the camera is on wheels, usually a set of tracks, allowing the camera to go back and forth. Here is an example of one;



Dolly: This is simple when the camera can do anything. The camera can go up and down, side to side, horizontally, vertically, and so on. For example;



Dolly Zoom: When the camera moves either even closer to or further away from the characters whilst the zoom angle is simultaneously being adjusted, allowing the characters to be able remain the same size. Here is an example that I've found;



Tilting shot: This is when the camera is tilted up and/or down, An example to showing this:


Following shot: This is quite literally when the camera follows something or someone at a reasonably constant distance. For example;


Jib: A jib shot is when the camera is on a crane. Here is an example of this:


Pedestal shot: When the camera moves vertically (in a pedal form). Here is an example of how this could be done;


These are examples of shots that can be used while someone is walking, for a variety of different effects. Though, not all of them need to be used at once.

Example in a movie - Staying Alive (1983)

                                 

To begin with, there is a slam through the door, followed by a series of following shots. This creates an effect of consistency and fluency in John Travolta's walk. In-between these shots, there are cut-in shots of  different parts of his body. For example, his feet. In this circumstance, it emphasises the fluency as although we don't see his face and upper body moving anymore, it is clear that he is still moving because of his feet. Here are a few examples of the cut-in shots:

These show what he is wearing, quite casual clothes (jeans, leather jacket, casual shoes and a shirt). The leather jacket in itself has connotations of 'bad'. This connotation, along with the slamming through the doors at the beginning, gives John Travolta a 'bad boy' image.

There is also an example of a tracking shot in this clip. From this we can establish his settings/environment. This is important as it allows the audience to see where he is important, and allows them to come to terms again with where he is, as now he's left what seemed to be a club. He appears to be walking passed plenty of shops, showing he is on a street. He also seems to have a 'bounce' in the way he walks which, along with his slight smiling, gives the impression that he is happy about something. All these things are made obvious through the shots used, showing the impact shots have on a film.


Finally, the scene ends with John Travolta walking towards the camera as it slightly moves up then back down. The shot begins as a long shot/extreme long shot as he begins to walk towards the camera. Once he is close, he walks up some steps and freezes then disappears, as the background remains. this makes the viewers feel more curious and inquisitive. Due to the quality of this film, it is clear it was made quite a few years ago. Technological convergence means that we now can do these things much more clearly. Throughout this clip, the camera remains only infront, behind and to the left of John Travolta, baring in mind the 180 degree rule. This is important because is means John looks like he is walking the same way the entire way, reducing viewers confusion.

Another Film Example - Night At The Roxbury

             
In this scene, we see a wider variety of shots, an more angles. We see other people walking on the street also, giving a sense of normality, daily life. The light levels in this clip are a lot brighter, portraying daylight and positivity. Compared to the first clip, there is a lot more focus on the mise-en-scene, settings, surroundings.

 Here are a few examples of the surrounding shops used in this clip.


The first shot we see of the main characters is of their feet, walking on the road. It is made clear that they're walking at quite a fast pace, in sync with each other. It's a low angle shot (as the camera is on the or near the ground) as well as a tracking shot (as the camera is more than likely to be on wheels). Throughout the scene, short following shots are used, to show to fluency of the characters (Steve and Doug's) walk. The focus being only on their feet builds audience tension and suspicion as at this point it's not clear who's feet they are. Also, the focus of just their feet is effective as it shows that the feet step in-beat with the diegetic music. The up-beat song, along with the weather and flowers give a spring/summer season to the clip.

This is a simple flow chart of the shots of the main characters used in this clip.

Compared to the Staying Alive clip I used earlier, the shot variety is much higher. This elongates the audiences interest in the film. All of the main elements that should be used to enhance the effects on filming someone walk (e.g. the 180 degree rule and shot variety) is used in this clip.

First we see a shot of the characters' feet, which moves slowly into a 2 mid-shot of them, walking in sync. The camera then moves into a mid-shot of Steve drinking something. This then changes into a tilted low angle shot of Doug walking then into a tilted low angle shot of Steve. After this, there is a long/wide shot of the pair of them together again walking, watching a young lady walk by. They then turn and chase the girl, so it's a shot from behind, into a 3 mid-shot of them with the girl. The final shot is a tracking shot of Steve and Doug walking into a flower shop. Changing from front to back, low shot to mid shot etc allows the audience to see everything from different perspectives, also adding to the interest because it means the viewers aren't just looking from one point of view.

Similar to the clip of John Travolta's walk in Staying Alive, there are plenty of cut-ins of parts of their body while walking, for example, their feet. Both also end with a long shot of the characters converting into a mid-shot as the characters walk towards the camera. However, Night At The Roxbury is less repetitive with the cut-ins used. This could be due to technological convergence and the improvement/development of films over the years has allowed producers to understand this and better film quality. Although this has been a good thing in this aspect, other times it may not be so good as it means audiences have higher expectations of films.

The clip begins and finishes with Steve and Doug together, side by side. This creates a looping, echoing effect. The audience should feel a sense of unity and good friendship between them. This means they familiarise themselves with this aspect of the film, giving them a deeper understanding as well as making them feel their part of the film.

How To Film A Conversation

Conversation and being able to shoot one is very important in a film. Using a variety of shots within a conversation allows the viewers to stay engaged with the film, see things from the characters point of view and view their surroundings. It's usually during conversations when the audience learn more about the characters and more is revealed about the plot. The majority of films is conversation as it tends to slowly answer all the audiences questions they initially had at the beginning. Here is a short clip from Angus Thongs and Perfect Snogging which I will by using for reference of how to shoot a conversation. 




There are 5 main rules to shooting a conversation:

• Shot variety
• Pick ups (ECU; cutaways; birds eye)
• Master Shot
• Continuity Editing
• Shot/reverse shot

Shot Variety
During a conversation in a film, the most common shots used are medium shots, over the shoulders and master shot. These shots in particular are good to shoot a conversation because it allows the viewers to become more familiar with the characters. This is because it focuses more on their face and less on the setting around them. Some films break the conventional ways of filming a conversation and tend to add to the usual shots used. Here are a few examples of these used in the clip:

1) The first shot used is a low angled master shot. It allows enough background space to allow the viewer to recognise and come to terms with their surrounding. In this scene, Georgia and Robbie are at the seaside. It is made obvious that they are in an informal, unprofessional settings. This makes it clear to the audience that they are probably going to have a casual conversation rather than a formal conversation about something like work. It also shows that there is little distance between them so its less likely that they are a couple and possibly just friends.

2) There are also many 2 mid shots in this scene. This allows the viewers to see the person who's talking as well as the response to the person who's listening. In this example, we see Robbie telling Georgia that he wrote a song for her, and her instant reaction, which is a smile. In this scene, this shot is used repeatedly back-and-forth from Robbie's side to Georgia's side, allowing us to get a better view of each of them.

3) Here is the wide shot used. In this shot, we see Georgia and Robbie getting more intimate, holding each others hands, though there is still that slight distance. The shot allows us to see them from a different angle as well us emphasising the fact that they are now standing.

4) Soon after there is a over the shoulder shot of Georgia.This shows that Georgia and Robbie are now even closer, from Robbie's Point of view. It allows us to see a higher level of detail on Georgia or Robbie's face. This shot is also used back and forth from Robbie's shoulder to Georgia's shoulder and so forth. This shot makes the conversation seem more personal and intense. There's a constant reminder that another person's in the conversation. 

3) Close up's are always good shots to show emotion on someone's face, in this case, Georgia's. As the camera is so close, it is clear that Georgia seems flattered, about to giggle. This shot is good in a conversation as it tends to show a lot of emotion that the audience needs to become familiar with.


4) In this scene, especially towards the end, there are quite a few long shots. In a conversation, this shot is more useful when the topic of conversation isn't too intense and is more for the audience to familiarise themselves more with the characters surroundings. Here we see Georgia and Robbie head-to-toe, standing on a sea side.

5) The final shot used begins as an extreme long shot. As Robbie and Georgia walk towards the camera it converts into a long shot, to a wide shot, to a 2-mid shot, then a close up. Due to the character movement, there is a wide variation of shots enclosed to end this scene. A brief extreme long shot could be useful in a conversation to further show the characters surroundings or distance if they're really far apart.



For a conversation, I think the most important and useful shots are master shots, 2-mid shots, close up's and over the shoulder shots. However shot variety is also useful in a conversation for al the reasons mentioned above.

Pick-Ups
Pick-Ups are shots of the mise-en-scene (e.g. props), like a knife. Most of the time, these are edited into the scene after it has been shot. It can be used in a conversation if the characters are talking about a shooting or crime, there might be a pick-up of a gun or knife. In this scene of Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging, a slight pick-up is when Georgia joins Robbie to sit down and when Robbie pulls Georgia's hair out. On both occasions, the conversation had stopped for a while but the pick-up was used to show what was happening and what they're doing. These are normally used when there is a stop or pause to the conversation, allowing the scene to flow. Pick-ups also help the audience understand what is going on in the conversation. An example in this clip is from the pick-ups we can see that Robbie and Georgia are about to kiss as Robbie puts his hands through her hair and what the result of that is. This simply shows additional information that adds to the conversation.

Continuity Editing This is a really important aspect of every part in a film, including a conversation. It's used to make each part of the scene flow in a more fluent manor. There are quite a few examples in the Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging clip used above. The first 20 seconds of the clip is an example. It shows where Georgia is coming from, then a panning shot is used following her showing the viewer’s where she's going (from the back), a short clip of Robbie, then Georgia again approaching him (from the front). The use of continuity editing allows us to see this happen in a 3 different shots. Together, the shots show where she is coming from, where she is going and how she gets there, allowing the viewers to see her complete journey, linking everything together. This structures the scene, making it more fluent.

Shot/Reverse Shot An example of a shot/reverse shot is if there is a shot of a person’s face, then a shot of their viewpoint/what they're looking at, then back to a shot of their face. This is mainly used to draw attention to the character and what they're seeing, often in a conversation. It is used in this clip of Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging as there is many points when we are repeatedly switching from shots of Georgia, to shots of Ronnie and back again. The effect of this shot is that it makes the conversation more intimate and personal as all we constantly see are shots of the characters and what they see, allowing the audience to form a relationship with them.

Shot Examples

Extreme Close Up
This is an example of an extreme close up. An extreme close up focuses on one single thing, for example a mouth or eyes. It is often used to enhance an expression on the characters face, such as them being shocked or crying.

Eye-Level Shot
These are examples of eye-level shots. This shot can be used to make the character directly interact with the audience, back and forth during a conversation or to show more of the emotion that they're expressing. It brings all the attention onto the one character and is very effective in movies often making the audience feel compassion.



High Angle ShotThese are some examples of high angle shots. A high angle shot is simply a shot taken from an angle just above head height. This can be used to make the character seem smaller, if there is someone at a high level that the character below is talking to, to suggest that a character is isolated or even in situations like fights to portray the characters surroundings (mise en scene).

Over The Shoulder Short
This is an example of an over the shoulder shot. This is a shot taken from behind a person (showing their head and shoulder) who is looking away from the camera, usually only using about 1/3 of the frame. This shout is often used to show a character looking out at something or cut back-and-forth during a conversation.

 


Medium Shot
This is an example of a medium shot, also known as a mid-shot with variations like two shot of two people from the waist up and three shot of 3 people and so on. his type of shot is mainly used for scenes with dialogue or to show some, but not too much detail of action but enough for things like hand gestures and movement. It shows only shows some of the character, but enough for the audience to feel as if they were looking at the whole subject. This shot is as close to how someone would see a person in the flesh because they wouldn't be paying any attention to their lower body. Its mostly used when someone is speaking without too much emotion which isn't intense.

Long Shot
This is an example of a long shot. This shot shows all of the character, from head to toe. Long shots can be used to shoe a characters environment (mise en scene) and what they're wearing and reveal who a character is. For example, if the character is wearing a suit its likely that they are a business person going to, on their way or at work. Also this would show that is a modern day film. This amount of detail is only available in a long shot, it wouldn't be possible in a close up for example.  

Extreme Long Shot/Wide ShotThis is an example of an extreme long shot. Similar to the long shot, all of the characters body is included however there us more of an emphasis on their surroundings as it's shot further away. This usually makes the characters come across more insignificant making the audience come more to terms with the mise en scene. This could also be used to create suspicion with what the character is doing or going.

Low Angle Shot
This is an example of a low angle shot. These shots increase height so is useful for short actors like Kevin Hart to make them seem taller as it tends to emphasis height. Low angle shots are good to contrast High angled shots, especially if its cut back-and-forth during a conversation between a tall & short person, or between a boss and an employee to show dominance. It can also be used as a point of view shot from someone or something on the floor. This shot tends to add to audience confusion, making them feel powerless and defenceless. In the background of a low angle shot there is usually just sky or a ceiling. The limited amount of detail of the setting and environment adds to the audience confusion.
Worms Eye

This is an example of a worms eye view shot. Similar to a low shot, a worm’s eye view shot is taken from a low angle, except this shot is with the camera on the ground for the lowest shot possible. This also can be used to make a character seem bigger and enhance their importance. It's likely to make the audience feel more intimidated, crowded over and inferior.

 

2 & 3 Mid-shot
These are variations of the original medium shot. This shot has the same aspects of a medium shot, except with 2 or 3 people. Any more people tend to become a long or wide shot.These shots usually portray togetherness of  couple, family or friends or tension in an argument.

 Tilt Shot
These are examples of a tilt shot. A tilt shot are shots taken at a tilted angle usually to add to the interest of a shot. This could add to the audiences distortion as its not a usual view for them.

Establishing shot
These are examples of establishing shots. These type of shots are usually to shot settings, surroundings and environment of a scene. This shot could be taken with or without character involvement. It is normally the first shot of a new scene to get the audience familiar with the new setting.