Introduction to cameras

The first time that our teacher showed us the cameras I was terrified! It seemed like there were so many buttons and functions and my first impression was that I would break it. But after being shown how to use the camera I got really excited and felt much more confident and comfortable about filming.

We were told to film some sort of journey, exploring different shot types and camera movements. Our journey took us down the stairs, round a corner, through a door and into the canteen to steal a bottle of drink. This gave us the opportunity to use lots of interesting camera angles, such as a low angle shot of him coming down the stairs and a worm's eye view of him coming through a door.

Because it was not an assessed activity we didn't need to storyboard our work. However, it was at times difficult to stay focussed and organised which meant we had to re-film a couple of sections to make it more fluent as a piece. I now understand why it is so important to plan out our work before getting on with using the cameras, otherwise we may make silly mistakes.

It was good experience to put the techniques we have learnt about into practical use. I enjoyed this project and I am now looking forward to our Prelim task.

Past student's work

Our teachers have explained that soon we will be filming our own Thriller openings. To help us get an understanding of what is expected and to give us some inspiration, we watched some previous AS work.

As a class, we widely agreed that one of the most interesting video clips was 'End of the Line'. It used a variety of shot types to build up an erratic, fast paced introduction. I liked the way they played with the concept of time- both by using a close up of the clock and by showing the sped up movement of the London Eye. Similarly to some of the real Thriller films I have seen, they used lots of close ups initially to draw our attention to particular details, such as the memory stick. They capture the nature of a busy city by showing short, precise clips of London, establishing the setting. This city vibe is continued as we see the character exit and walk down the street, watching him from many different angles, creating the idea that you are always being watched. I thought that the combination of diegetic and non-diegetic sound was really clever, as an atmosphere was created whilst the plot was still continued naturalistically.

Film Analysis- 'Red Eye'

Opening Titles

They are presented in a white, easy-to-read font on a contrasting black background. The text flashes onto the screen quickly, before fading away again. After a short time, a larger font in red capital letters flashes up- announcing the film's title. Red is significant because it is a connotation of danger, as well as fitting the theme of "red eye".

Generic Themes
As soon as the action begins, some sort of conspiricy is established. The camera stalks the characters without showing faces, revealing some sense of character and family history via the photographs on the table, the contents of the wallet etc. It is slightly unclear to the audience at this point who is involved and why but all the same it puts you on edge.
The sequence that follows this mysterious opening begins answering some of the questions in the audience's mind- who is the owner of the wallet? who is the lady? why is she important? But still there is an ethos of ambguity to keep the audience guessing.
Because no faces are seen at first, this suggests that there is someone/some authority carrying out orders that wish to remain unseen. This sets up lots of plot twists for later in the film. The idea of someone/something being in control of the situation from a distance is often used in psychological thrillers in order to keep information withheld from viewers.
A strong, confident, intelligent female is introduced as the protagonist character, which immediately sets the film apart from others I have seen.

Sound
Diegetic~ noises that fit the action (banging of crates, slam of the truck door, turning pages of the hotel documents etc) are all exaggerated to heighten the tension in the opening scene. Eventually dialogue is introduced.
Non-Diegetic~ sinister music is played over the opening titles. After a climatic point that happens at the same time as the film title is seen, it goes temporarily quiet, a slight echo is heard. Inanimate objects are seen and as a character comes into shot, the music restarts atmospherically.

Mise-en-scene
~The wallet is shown close up and highlighted as a key prop. This is reinforced as the motif of the wallet is repeated- we see it go on a journey with other characters
~The film takes place at nighttime, straight away adding danger and intrigue to the plot
~A sympathetic background is used to reflect the themes and add danger/anxiety to the events taking place. For example, the rain and traffic are delaying her in the taxi (building suspense), the storm effecting the flights at the airport (immediately placing objects in the way of the situation)
~We find out lots about the central character from small details, eg. she is in a graduation gown in the photograph (suggesting she is an intelligent woman), she is the person who people ring in a crisis (a reliable, trust worthy character), she does not get stressed or flustered in traffic, when the flight is delayed, during the phonecall etc, implying she is in control)
~Photographs on the table begin to build up a family history, encouraging the audience to empathise with these characters
~The combination of smart suits, suspicious behaviour and nighttime setting suggest corruption or a bad authority/organisation
~The hotel lobby is bright, light and colourful, even the costumes are cheerful. This contrasts greatly to the dreery, dark atmosphere created in and around the taxi. This could be setting up the idea that the protagonist is doomed or heading for danger

Shot Types
*Plenty of CUs used in the opening sequence. The director is focussing our attention to certain details and disorientating us because we cannot see the full picture
*POV shots are used, particularly when the wallet it placed on the side and then stolen. This shows the action taking place but doesn't give the audience all the information, adding suspense. It also puts the 'bad' characters in a position of power
*A slight worm's eye view of the truck hides the identity of the characters involved and gives the audience a low status, making them feel vulnerable
*Both a medium shot and a two shot are used in the hotel scene. These are slightly less intense than all of the close ups used previously but they still serve the same purpose- only showing the audience what is relevant rather than giving lots of other details away

Camera Movement
There are moments of stillness inbetween some rapid movements, creating an eery, tense atmosphere. A slow, short pan is used to reveal slightly more of the environment before characters enter. Some fast tracking is used to follow the action. It is done smoothly as opposed to using steady cam, possibly to give the idea that we are absent viewers witnessing the situation, rather than another character taking part in the action. Some of the camera movements are quite fast, meaning you only get a glimpse of certain things. It begins to build a fast paced, organised feeling to the crime that is being planned.

Film Analysis- 'Se7en'

Opening Titles
The titling sequence is not the first thing we see- it comes after a naturalistic opening scene. There is harsh, disturbing, non-diegetic music played over the titles (some random noises such as scratching and screams). The font is as if it is handwritten in an untidy scrawl, making the audience look closer to read what it says and giving the impression that someone has written them by hand. It is a higly edited sequence of disturbing images that flash and change rapidly. It is strange and slightly phsychotic in it's nature, creating an unsettling ambience. It is filmed in black and white with the odd flashes of red (denoting danger, blood, passion). Some of the shots merge unclearly from one into another, creating a feeling of disorientation. Lots of CUs are used to control what the audience focus on in the shot. It seems like someone is collecting evidence but not in an authoritive way- it is obsessive and unpredictable, suggesting it may be more of a scrapbook of somebody's achievements than an official police document. The images are POV shots where sometimes you can see the person's hands but no more, building a sense of mystery and confusion. This abstract sequence contrasts greatly with the previous scene, taking the audience by surprise and putting them on edge.

Generic Themes
A sense of sadness is created in the opening. Lots of hollow, busy noise is heard yet the character seems not to notice this (suggesting he is used to the disrruption of a busy city). He is experienced at his job and truly cares, causing the audience to empathise with him to begin with. This means that when another character is introduced, binary opposition is established, creating an interesting relationship to develop during the film. A shift in status is shown quite early on, with the use of high and low angle shots, positioning of the characters in the scene and symbolic items of costume. It is a linear sequence, presenting the events in the order that they happen.
The protagonist has a hard, defensive exterior (setting him up to be opened up later in the film).

Sound
Diegetic~ rainfall, sirens, people's voices in the street/other rooms in the building, naturalistic background noise
Non-Diegetic~ the eery music used in the film's titles contrasts with the natural sounds heard in the opening sequence

Mise-en-scene
~Rain is used as a patheitc fallacy (thrilling atmosphere, reflects events in the film, a constant noise that could disguise other noises- making it difficult to be totally aware in any situation, metaphor- they are cleansing the city, bad weather acts as a barrier and stops things happening so efficiently)
~Objects that he needs for the day are laid out obsessively neatly, giving us an insight into his character
~It is relatively dark and there is a distinct lack in colour (the film was shot using natural light and minimal additional lighting)
~Costume items are symbolic (he wears a hat because he is experienced and used to the rainy city whereas the other character is trying to dodge the rain becuase he is new to the job)
~Blood is not shown in such an obvious form. It is not essential information at this point so it is suggested as opposed to seen close up. This could be to make the audience focus on the characters and their relationship rather than looking at the horrific body
~The magnets on the fridge are realistic and make the setting look like a real home. It adds a personal touch and shows the character is emotionally involved with his work

Shot Types
*Close ups and medium close ups are used initially to show the character getting ready
*POV shots are used to develop an insight into the character's lifestyle and suggesting his occupation
*The second scene (at the crime scene) is shown mainly through medium shots, showing some of the setting and involving the characters talking
*Two shots are used to connect and contrast the two characters (focussing the audience's attention on them)

Camera Movements
Most of the shots are fairly static to begin with, sometimes panning slowly to gradually reveal the location. This means the audience may feel like they are not seeing the whole picture.
A low angle tracking shot is used to show the characters as the exit the crime scene and walk own the street, giving them a powerful status. Tracking along with the action makes the audience feel present, like they are a part of the scene.

This thriller opening was very different to 'Momento' and again had some interesting conventions. I thought it was intriguing to film using only natural lighting where possible. At times it made it very hard to see what was happening which was the intention but I wasn't overly keen on this. I loved the titling sequence because that in itself was thrilling. It was mysterious and made me want to watch the rest of the film!