Good Tutorial Site

One of my groups ideas for our final opening included flash backs. Then i found this tutorial site -

http://library.creativecow.net/articles/rabinowitz_aharon/CC_Flashback/video-tutorial.php

I had a go at recreating it myself in After Effects. This is what i came up with...

Certificate Rating

http://www.bbfc.co.uk/ - British Board Of Film Classification

 There may be frequent use of strong language however the strongest terms are acceptable in context however continued use is not acceptable. Nudity is allowed in a sexual content but not in strong detail. No constraints on nudity if not in a sexual context. Violence may be shown but without strong detail. May not dwell upon the pain inflicted on the character. Dangerous techniques such as suicide and self harming should not be dwelt upon. Accessibility to lethal weapons can not be glamorised. Strong 'gorry' images are not permitted however repeated scenes of threat and menace are. Drug taking may be shown must not encourage drug misuse.

 BBFC findings show that at the age of 18 a person should be entitled to see whatever they wish as they are an adult. However exceptions include the promotion of dangerous acts (both to the individual and society). They may also stop the portrays of sexual assault which endorse assault. Sexual scenes must be justified in the text.

I believe our work will be targeted at the classification of 15. This is because those producing it are of similar age but slightly older. This means we will know what the age range expect from a Thriller film and also have the knowledge to know what is acceptable to be shown in the film. In addition we don't plan to include any scenes of a sexual nature in our opening. However the classification will not be lower than an 15 as we plan to include some suspense and violence scenes which fall into the classification of 15. Furthermore the use of violence and sex etc. must be justified in the context of the piece. This means we will not include scenes of a violent nature for no reason.

Continuity Task

My group was awarded a Level 2 by my teacher for this

piece of work. We peer assessed each others work

in class and came up with areas of improvement for each other.

Firstly my teacher argued that the task was incomplete

as the audience didn't physically see the character

leave the room. In addition it was argued that the

music was unnecessary. However i believe it was a

good chance to experiment with sound in

Premier. Further more the reaction shots of the

characters facial expression where unclear and the

facial expression couldn't be seen.

The framing of some shots was uncentral to the actiom and drew the

audiences attention way from the action.

To improve we decided that it is best to make

it obvious to the audience what is going on.

In addition repeating shots will ensure the best

shot is captured and can be used. Finally we need

to keep consistency with our effective shots for

better marks.

I believe my group worked well together in the

organsing and execution of our continuity task.

The camera work was effective and handled well.

However in some areas the framing of the shot was

wrong. To improve we will take more care when

positioning the camera and the actors to make the

film more effective. 

In addition the editing could of been

sharper, reducing the length of the clips. This would

of made the piece more effective as it would allow the

audience to engage more and tension would of been

created. Furthermore in some clips the clicking of the

camera could be heard. This reduces the quality and

effectiveness of the extract. To remove this we should

allow the camera to run for longer after the action.

This would make it easier to remove the sound without

effecting the quality and effectiveness of the extract.

However the location and the acting in the piece

where not ideal. The initial planned location wasn't

available. From this we can learn to be more 

organized and prepared before shooting. The actors

where not amazing. When it comes to doing our

opening scene we will use drama students who

should have more experience of acting.

Conclusion

From my research i have found that each sub genre of thriller has a specific style following common conventions of the hybrid in the opening scenes. For example Western thrillers often have the titles superimposed on to the image which is commonly associated with Westerns. However through out all genres I found there was a common use of sound. Non diegetic sound is used effectively in all to create suspense, wether this is fast past or slow paced. Furthermore suspense is created through effective editing. Suspense is effectively created through short takes with longer pauses when a title appears. This tells the audience what the genre of the film is within the first few minutes and what conventions to expect. On the other hand some of the openings where slower paced,  in particular the supernatural thriller. This creates an eerie atmosphere about the piece which is the complete opposite to what you would expect from a crime thriller. In some openings the camera didn't change position and the titles came and went in front of it. With these (such as the 'Sixth Sense') sound plays a major role in creating suspense. In some openings there where a variety of camera angles and distances however they mainly related to the sub genre of thriller. Mise-en-scene is also dependent on the sub genre of the text. However the colour of text chosen is often white or red. Both are conventional to Thrillers. This is due to the cultural meaning associated to them. For example red has connotations of danger and blood both of which are associated whit Thrillers.

Practice Filming 1

Due to technical difficulties it is not possible to upload a copy of our first practice filming. This

is due to a fault with the camera. However we did learn lots from our practice.

Firstly i believe our control of the camera and its use was effective. A few panning shots could of been smoother but we didn't we didn't brake the 180 degree rule. We also worked well as a team with our organising and communication which will be important when it comes to filming the real thing.  

From this practice we learnt that using ourselves as actors wasn't a very good idea. This is firstly

because we naturally aren't very good actors and more importantly when it comes to shooting 

the real thing it will allow us to work together as a team more and make our final piece much

more realistic and effective. 

Furthermore our editing could of been smoother and more effective but over all was satisfactory. Initially our use of the editing software was slow and sluggish but we soon became use to it and our pace quickened. When it comes to producing our final piece will look into improving our skills with other software to aid in production.

Thriller Opening 5 - Sixth Sense - M. Night Shyamalan -1999 (Supernatural Thriller)

(Up to 3:00)

Camera: The camera stays still throughout the title sequence. 

The audience are presented the titles. In addition the restricted 

view is used to help create suspense. The fact the camera 

doesn't move creates the impression on the audience of 

entrapment. This is an uncomfortable feeling for the 

audience The director has done this to provide an insight 

into the narrative of the text. Within all Thriller title scenes,

the genre is quickly established and the main theme of the 

narrative is set. This ties in well with the directors use of 

sound.

Editing: The director chose to use fade transitions between

each title. This helps to establish both genre and narrative.

Fading allows the title to flow and keeps continuity at the

same time. However more importantly it creates an eerie

atmosphere within the text. This is common to most 

supernatural thrillers as ghosts and specters have 

connotations of fading and dissipating. This helps tie in 

with the genre

of the text. The eerie atmosphere created

by the fading transitions helps to create suspense, a

common feature of Thrillers thus telling the audience about

both the narrative and the genre.

Sound: Sound is for many reasons in this title scene. Firstly

sound is used to create suspense. The directors choice of

string instruments which produce short sharp notes. This

combined with the camera and editing effectively build

suspense. When the main title of the film is shown the

musical score reaches a crescendo. The director chose to

do this because if suspense is built for to long the

audience loss interest. As a result the director chose to

climax in the middle of the title scene. The eerie

atmosphere is upheld afterwards by the combination of

the piano and the string instruments.

Mise-en-scene: The title scene is shot

using very low key 

lighting this helps to set the atmosphere and mood of the 

text. The mood and atmosphere matches that of which

the audience would expect from the genre.

Supernatural thrillers are associated with eeriness and

'spooky' scenes. The sound links with the mise-en-

scene to effectively make put the audience "on edge"

and increase their engagement. This is common to

Thrillers.

Special Effects: The titles fade between one another. This

reinforces the eerie atmosphere created earlier. In addition

the titles enlarge as they zoom out. This adds emphasis to

their importance. Further more the zoom isn't dramatic it is

slow and works well with the text reinforcing the established

genre. This is done through following conventions associated

with a genre. When the main title of 'sixth sense' appears

the lighting of the text fluctuates. This further adds to the atmosphere

and genre.

Titles: The titles are displayed over a plain black background

and aren't superimposed on the text. This is common to most

supernatural thrillers. The director has done this to effectively

display the titles and to separate the titles from the main film.

The director chose white font as it it contrasts to the black

background. This simplistic way of showing titles is rather dramatic

and helps build suspense.