In the preliminary task we didn’t really use a wide variety of camera shots, as the main focus of this task was to explore shot-reverse-shot, 180 degree rule and also match on action. As these were new terms to us, we wanted to make sure that we used the prelim task to demonstrate these three rules to the best of our ability.
Firstly we used a series of close ups and mid shots in order to demonstrate match on action in the most effective way. Mid shots were used in order to set the scene and show the position of the main character in comparison to other characters and the setting. Close ups were also used in order to focus on specific aspects of the clip, such as the grabbing of the door handle before Alice entered the room. From here we then used an over the shoulder shot of Alice, which presents her in a vulnerable position and emphasises the dominance that the other character has over her. Additionally, we then used an over the shoulder shot of Lois (the other character) in order to make the audience feel more involved in the action and to also enable the audience the clearly see both sides of the conversation.
In the
opening of our film we made sure to use a variety of different camera shots in
order to show as many conventions of the Teen Angst genre as possible – to make
the film realistic to the specific genre. We used long shots, such as when Ash
is walking to school to demonstrate a common activity that most teenagers do
due to the fact that school is a huge part of their lives. This adds a
relatable aspect to our film enabling it to attract our target audience
further. Close ups are used on specific objects that would be significant to
teenagers or to show emotion of the characters. An example of this would be
when Ash is putting in her headphones. We used this, as teenagers are known for
listening to a lot of music as a way of escaping reality, which means that they
would be able to relate to this part of the opening sequence and is a
conventional aspect of teen angst as teens are represented as very
technological. Finally, we used a point of view shot of Darcy from Ash’s
perspective. We thought this was a significant part of our film as it allows
the audience to experience a tiny part of Ash’s life and how she views her best
friend. This makes the opening more realistic as it shows the audience another
perspective, as if they were watching through Ash’s eyes, again making it more
relatable to our target audience.
Framing (what is in and out of the shots)
In the preliminary task, we tried to make sure that all elements that were insignificant to the action were excluded from the frame, as this would reduce how realistic the clip was. However, if I were to do this task again, I would focus on this part more as well as the setting of the task, as this would improve the quality of the clip and make it more realistic.
In the preliminary task, we tried to make sure that all elements that were insignificant to the action were excluded from the frame, as this would reduce how realistic the clip was. However, if I were to do this task again, I would focus on this part more as well as the setting of the task, as this would improve the quality of the clip and make it more realistic.
In the
opening sequence of our film, I think our framing went quite well. Everything
that was in the frame was supposed to be there as it emphasised the action
taking place and the over all story in order to make the opening more effective
and clear to follow. Here we also made sure to use a tripod, which we didn’t
use in the prelim task. This made the frames more steady and didn’t take away
any attention from the characters and/or the action taking place.
Mise en scene, Lighting, Costume, Props, Settings
Due to the fact our Prelim task was based on an interview, we wanted the setting and lighting to be quite formal in order to emphasise this serious tone. The setting we used was a classroom as this was what was available to us, which had the most resemblance of where an interview would actually take place in real life. In this classroom there were various props, such as tables, chairs, whiteboards etc… that did reduce how realistic our preliminary task was, however I don’t think that it made a huge amount of difference. The lighting throughout the task was naturally low key, which was appropriate for the action taking place and foreshadowed what was about the happen at the end – Alice getting fired. The biggest setback of our clip was the costumes. Due to having little time to plan and complete this task, we did not have any time to think about the costumes of our characters. As a result, the outfits worn are very casual and not appropriate for an interview, as this is a serious activity, which should be attended in formal clothing from both parties.
Due to the fact our Prelim task was based on an interview, we wanted the setting and lighting to be quite formal in order to emphasise this serious tone. The setting we used was a classroom as this was what was available to us, which had the most resemblance of where an interview would actually take place in real life. In this classroom there were various props, such as tables, chairs, whiteboards etc… that did reduce how realistic our preliminary task was, however I don’t think that it made a huge amount of difference. The lighting throughout the task was naturally low key, which was appropriate for the action taking place and foreshadowed what was about the happen at the end – Alice getting fired. The biggest setback of our clip was the costumes. Due to having little time to plan and complete this task, we did not have any time to think about the costumes of our characters. As a result, the outfits worn are very casual and not appropriate for an interview, as this is a serious activity, which should be attended in formal clothing from both parties.
In our
opening sequence all of these aspects were improved and we learnt that it is
extremely to match the mise-en-scene to the story being told within the film
because if these two aspects are unsynchronised the film becomes very hard to
follow and looks very unrealistic. The setting of the opening sequence was a
high school as this is a stereotypical setting for a teen angst film, which we
learnt from our research. The majority of the sequence was filmed outside which
made it extremely hard to control the lighting of our film. However, for the
parts we filmed inside, we used low-key lighting as this reflected the attitude
of our main character who has depression. The costumes used throughout, were
chosen to reflect the personalities of our characters and fit into the social
groups that they come under. This is a significant part of the Teen Angst
genre, which we again found out from previous research, as this enables the
audience to relate to particular characters and identify the types of people they
are/should be stereotypically. For example the innocent character, Darcy is
wearing light coloured clothing such as white in order to reflect this purity,
where as the main character Ash is wearing a lot of dark clothing to reflect
the mental illness that she has and negative attitude. Props that we included
would be items such as school bags, mobile phones and headphones are these are
objects that relate specifically to teenagers, as they are known for being
technological and school focused.
Mode of address, Way actors speak, words and
sentence structure, Gesture
The way that our characters spoke in our preliminary task was specific to their individual character. Alice spoke in a quiet, shy tone but also craved attention/another chance at the same time. This reflected her character as she was portraying an entrepreneur who could be fired during the interview. On the other hand, we had Lois who was portraying the experienced investor. This meant that she had to speak with a harsh tone and couldn’t really show any emotion as this could be interpreted as being weak in her line of work. At the end of the task Lois pointed her finger at Alice when telling her she was fired. This showed an element of dominance over Alice and was intended to make Alice feel weak and vulnerable. After this Alice is then shown bowing her head to demonstrate the fact she is upset with that has just happened and her weak position.
The way that our characters spoke in our preliminary task was specific to their individual character. Alice spoke in a quiet, shy tone but also craved attention/another chance at the same time. This reflected her character as she was portraying an entrepreneur who could be fired during the interview. On the other hand, we had Lois who was portraying the experienced investor. This meant that she had to speak with a harsh tone and couldn’t really show any emotion as this could be interpreted as being weak in her line of work. At the end of the task Lois pointed her finger at Alice when telling her she was fired. This showed an element of dominance over Alice and was intended to make Alice feel weak and vulnerable. After this Alice is then shown bowing her head to demonstrate the fact she is upset with that has just happened and her weak position.
In the
opening sequence Ash speaks in a low tone that is almost monotone but not
quite. We did this deliberately in the script in order to show the fact that
she is depressed and does not have a positive outlook on the world. The
voiceovers used throughout the sequence are Ash’s inner voice, which enables
her thoughts to be shared with the audience, emphasising the fact that she
thinks about things in a negative manner. This tone of voice was completely
appropriate in this scenario as it reveals things about Ash’s personal life
that the audience may not have figured out. It would not have been appropriate
for this character to have a happy tone of voice with a lot of intonation as it
would not reflect her true personality and would be confusing to the audience.
180 rule, Match on
action, Shot reverse shot, Cross cutting, Jump cut, Juxtaposition, Transitions,
sequencing, effects
In the prelim task, we used the 180 degree rule, match on action and shot reverse shot as these were the focal points for this task. The 180 degree rule was used when our two characters are talking at the tabel. We made sure not to pass the 180 degree line as this would make the characters appear on the same side and their eye contact would not match up, which woud reduce how relasitc the film is. Shot reverse shot was also used at this point tto allow the audinece to follow the conversation and also to give an insight into the body language of each character. Finally, match on action was used throughout. This made the editing more fluid and allowed the audience to undertsand the storyline without having to watch unnecessary parts such as walking up to the door etc.
Throughout our opening sequence we used cross dissolves in order to add fluidity to our film, as the two shots would blend together without distracting the audinece from the main action. We also used transitions on our text, so that they would slide into the screen. We did this in order to create a leading line so that the audinece would follow the characters movements. We also used a transition on our "24 hours before" so that the letters would appear one by one to mimic a type writer. In order to emphasise this we also added a non-diegetic sound of a typewirter to make it seem as if someone was typing it on screen at the same time that the audinece was viewing it. This can also be seen as a teenager typing the words on screen, which would show that they are heavily involved in technology and always on their phones/computer. We also used shot-reverse-shot between Darcy and Ash on the bikes in order to involve the audience more in our film - to put them in each cahracters perspective. Finally, we used match on action as Ash was walking into the school. We cut out a lot of parts where the charcaters were just walking to make the film more interesting and reduce how boirng this activity can be to watch.
In the prelim task, we used the 180 degree rule, match on action and shot reverse shot as these were the focal points for this task. The 180 degree rule was used when our two characters are talking at the tabel. We made sure not to pass the 180 degree line as this would make the characters appear on the same side and their eye contact would not match up, which woud reduce how relasitc the film is. Shot reverse shot was also used at this point tto allow the audinece to follow the conversation and also to give an insight into the body language of each character. Finally, match on action was used throughout. This made the editing more fluid and allowed the audience to undertsand the storyline without having to watch unnecessary parts such as walking up to the door etc.
Throughout our opening sequence we used cross dissolves in order to add fluidity to our film, as the two shots would blend together without distracting the audinece from the main action. We also used transitions on our text, so that they would slide into the screen. We did this in order to create a leading line so that the audinece would follow the characters movements. We also used a transition on our "24 hours before" so that the letters would appear one by one to mimic a type writer. In order to emphasise this we also added a non-diegetic sound of a typewirter to make it seem as if someone was typing it on screen at the same time that the audinece was viewing it. This can also be seen as a teenager typing the words on screen, which would show that they are heavily involved in technology and always on their phones/computer. We also used shot-reverse-shot between Darcy and Ash on the bikes in order to involve the audience more in our film - to put them in each cahracters perspective. Finally, we used match on action as Ash was walking into the school. We cut out a lot of parts where the charcaters were just walking to make the film more interesting and reduce how boirng this activity can be to watch.
Use of titles, Size,
Font, Positioning, transitions
We did not use any titles within our preliminary task as we felt that it wasn’t appropriate to the task. However, in our opening sequence we made sure to use a lot of different styles of fonts as well as colours as we knew that this was a conventional aspect of Teen Angst films. The title was written in a cloud font and positioned in the middle of the frame, as it is an important piece of information. It was put in a cloud font as this connotes freedom and having high aspirations, which our main character is yet to have. The credits of our film, we displayed in the same sans serif font, but in a variety of colours such as purple, pink and green, starting quite dark at the start and getting brighter as the film continues. We decided to do this as it reflects how our character is feeling throughout the film starting off very depressed but gradually getting more positive.
We did not use any titles within our preliminary task as we felt that it wasn’t appropriate to the task. However, in our opening sequence we made sure to use a lot of different styles of fonts as well as colours as we knew that this was a conventional aspect of Teen Angst films. The title was written in a cloud font and positioned in the middle of the frame, as it is an important piece of information. It was put in a cloud font as this connotes freedom and having high aspirations, which our main character is yet to have. The credits of our film, we displayed in the same sans serif font, but in a variety of colours such as purple, pink and green, starting quite dark at the start and getting brighter as the film continues. We decided to do this as it reflects how our character is feeling throughout the film starting off very depressed but gradually getting more positive.
A detailed discussion if your improvements here Rebecca.
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