9) Initial Script - Development

I looked into different scripts online and also looked at material received in class and by this i realized my faults so using my research as a template i changed my script to make it seem more on a professional level.

1- Ext/ Evening-night. Group of friends go out to camp in forest.

2-Ext/ Night. Start getting drunk.

Scream in distance.

3-Ext/Night. Everyone runs. Variety of shots (long shot; showing forest)

4-Ext/Night. Body is found. 

This was the script for our previous plot , after considering alternatives we changed our plot along with our script .

Shot List

First shot- Match on action of kidnappers feet.
               -Shot from kidnappers point of view & the journey


Long shot- girls entering the alley
(effect used: sped up into fast mode)


Medium shot - Girls walking


Pan shot- Of whole field


Pan shot - Around main character 


Tracking shot - From kidnappers point of view

10) Research into Camera angles, lighting and effects

Camera Shots

• Long shot
• Medium shot
• Point of view shot
• Track shot
• High angle shot
• Low angle shot
• Birds eye shot
• Reverse shot
• Over the shoulder shot

 Lighting technique and aesthetics

• Background lighting
• Cameo lighting
• Fill light
• Flood lighting
• High-key lighting
• Key Lighting
• Lens flare
• Low-key lighting
• Mood lighting
• Rembrandt lighting
• Stage lighting
• Soft light

Special effects (FX)

• 3-D computer graphics
• Bluescreen/Chroma key
• Bullet time
• Computer-generated imagery
• Digital compositing
• Optical effects
• Stereoscopy for 3D
• Stop trick
• Stop motion

Lighting

In cinematography, the use of light can influence the meaning of a shot. For example, film makers often portray villains that are heavily shadowed or veiled, using silhouette.

Techniques involving light include backlight(silhouette), and under-lighting(light across a character form).

Sound

• Diegetic sound: It is sound that the characters can hear as well as the audience, and usually implies a reaction from the character. Also called "literal sound" or "actual sound":
  • Voices of characters;
  • Sounds made by objects in the story; and/or like heart beats of a person
  • Source music, represented as coming from instruments in the story space.
  • Basic sound effects, e.g. dog barking, car passing; as it is in the scene
  • Music coming from reproduction devices such as record players, radios, tape players etc.
    
    
  • Non-diegetic sound: It is sound which is represented as coming from a source outside the story space, ie. its source is neither visible on the screen, nor has been implied to be present in the action. Also called "non-literal sound" or "commentary sound":
    • Narrator's commentary;
    • Voice of God;
    • Sound effect which is added for dramatic effect;
    • Mood music; and
    • Film Score

  Non-diegetic sound plays a significant role in creating the atmosphere and mood within a film.

  
  
  
  
  -This information was mostly retrieved from wikipedia and the rest from classwork notes.
  

Why opening scenes are important

Pulp Fiction;

• Quentin Tarentino
• Definition of 'Pulp' in opening scene = relevant. Foreshadows upcoming events, hints at what to expect.
• Mise en Scene:

1. Dinner- Cafe on side of road = cheap
2. Male leans towards female- insisting something upon her
3. Female- Bad haircut, lowerclasss

• Puts alot of sugar in tea= lowerclass
  - An act that wouldn't viewed as idealistic by upperclass
• Swearing= link to certification
  Swearing wouldn't appeal to every age group e.g. elderly
• Light is only on one side of the mans face= sinister look
• Big bold title - yellow and black
• Music and title similar to 'Kill Bill'
• Freeze on characters and then music kicks in
• Impersceptible (title getting smaller)
• Music switches, like someone fiddling with a radio
• Good to have 2 people at start at movie because grabs viewers attention and is realistic.
  Suggets realism - straightforward and story telling
• Boring shots because their just in cafe - more realistic
• Title and information right at the end

LA Confidential

• Non digetic= voice over sound
• Star persona= Danny devito
• Still images= Shots e.g. newspaper, photo of images
• Bold yellow titles
• Titles & intro first
• Old 50's images
• When talking about death an image of champagne is shown= Death is associated with 'style' - Not as hardcore as pulp fiction
• Typewriter with non digetic sound

Road to Perdition

• Silent whilst names are appearing. Tom hanks - Star persona
• Opening shot fades
• Voice over = non digetic
• Zooming in and disappears
• Shots - fades into eachother (impersceptible) 
• Isolated place to a populated place = contrast
• Protagnosists = Chasing him

Brick Lane

• Subtitles
• Bright coloured
• One camera shot
• Fade shot
• Close up
• Non-digetic voice over
• Her journey is shown before the main body of the film
  Why are the opening sequences so important to the film industry? 
  During the opening sequences music, setting and lighting can give away what type of genre it is going to be. Which is one of the main reasons why opening scenes are important as it is best to convey genre right at the beginning and make sure it remains constant throughout the movie to make it a success. Also there are a few usual things that occur in the opening scenes of a movie -
  - Protagonist. Movies either start of with 1 or upto 3 characters.
  - Music, camera angles, shots, lighting and mise en scene typically convey the genre it is to be which is why it is so important to get it right.
  - An invent is likely to happen in the opening scene or perhaps some hints are given of what is to come, this is done to keep viewers engaged.
  -Dialogue is hardly used or to a minimum
  
  
  
  Opening scenes are important as they give the first impressions of a movie. This is why it is significant for the genre to get across so the audience knows what to expect and also it will engage them. Being clear on genre means use of successful music, shots , lighting and locations. Once these are all put together they become an advantage as they easily convey upcoming events and ofcourse, genre. By using the right techniques it sets the tone of the movie as well as the atmosphere as it lures viewers into the plot. By doing so viewers are introduced to the characters and are then in their world.
   
  After doing research on opening scenes it has allowed me to generate ideas on what my group can do in order to achieve similar outcomes to other successful movies. For the opening scene my group has decided to use a maximum of 4 characters , by having more we'd feel like it'd all be too much to take in one go. By using 'Garage Band' a professional music maker, i have made upto 3 different background tunes which are filled with suspense. Using music to manipulate moods is a very clever concept which is what helps hypnotise viewers, so to me this aspect of the clip is very significant. Mesmorising music seems to be most successful to me as it remains in the viewers heads after , hence making the movie a hit. Due to this reason only little dialogue will be used. After watching a variety of opening scenes to form ideas and further understanding of why certain techniques are used i decided to do research into a particular film's opening scene, in which i felt best grabbed attention.
  
  
  The Dark Knight
  The bank robbery that kicked of at the start is what had viewers on the edge of their seats. A great concept used was that there was no opening title just a batman figure in blue fire - keeping viewers curious.Furthermore, the action kicks off straight away ; a window cracks, gunfire, crashing school bus all within the first couple of minutes. Due to all this action the movie is filmed at a fast pace as it switches from scene to scene which undoubtedly has the viewers restraining themselves from blinking. Also, we find out so much about the neighbourhood and the area where its set, Gotham city. A violent moral-less city where crime rates are high, highlighting a dangerous area. 
  The joker is a notorious individual yet both insane but addictive. He is one of the main characters of the movie, a man which viewers WANT to see on their screens and to find out more about his past and his motives for being so evil and twisted. This one character is enough to rein in viewers by the masses as we all simply want to know more about this cunnish individul.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

8) Draft storyboard and plans

7)Development of Ideas:

Our original idea was to do a psychological thriller which involved various locations as shown below. A majority of our concept consisted of inspiration from ‘Black Swan’. After a while of reviewing the different techniques that would have to be taken into account we realized it would be easier for us to complete our work to a higher standard if we simplified our plot.

 

Editing:

• Black and white film effect
• Camera shaking
• Slow motion effect

Locations:

• Park/field
• Underground/tube
• South bank- graffiti and roller skating – skateboard ramp
• Waterloo: station/tunnels
• Rivers: Kingston, Richmond, Feltham

Props:

• Miming – facepaint
• Black top hats
• Horses
• Bushes and trees
• Rivers
• Makeup/ballerinas
• Cane stick
• Raining
• Tents

6) Summary of film plot

First my group decided to go along with a psychological thriller in which we decided to base it around the main character getting the feeling she is being watched/stalked. Going to various places at night in London and having all these dodgy things happening to her (seeing something and then it disappears). To add more of a psychological sense we wanted our character to hallucinate and see weird images, as well as display paranoid emotions to make her seem freakier.

After considering the locations and the length of time and effort we would have to put in to making this complex clip we decided to simplify it. We have now changed the idea completely and decided to stick to more of a mystery/crime thriller.

Instead of having a main character we have a group of friends camping out and so go to the forest. They start settings up tents whilst getting drunk and suddenly hear a scream in the distance, a variety of shots will be used to accentuate the suspense. When the group of friends set off to search where the scream came from they encounter a dead body. The clip ends as a cliff hanger. 


After doing a series of snapshots and recordings of our route for the above concept, we changed it all once again. After thinking about it logically trying to record a group of 6-8 people in a space of 2 minutes was too much as each actor would have to act and this would take up further time. Due to this reason we decided to cut down the amount of actors. Continuing with the same plot with just 3 actors didn't seem as effective ( getting drunk with 3 people doesn't really work !) . After taking all the variables into account we decided a kidnapping would be more appropriate for a small group of people and it would appear more effective and intriguing.


Our final plot :
Based near an empty field and alley way, 3 girls go for a walk . Along the way someone is watching them, one of the girls get kidnapped and the other 2 frantically remain searching for her.