I chose to evaluate the thriller 28 Days Later because I feel that the camera movement and other aspects make it the most interesting and gripping, although nothing happens in the clip, the audience get a sense that something has already happened and we are in the same position as the character because he doesn't know what's going on either.
The lighting maintains being quite bright fake light in the first scenes inside the hospital. This shows the surroundings very clearly so that the audience can see chaos and mess thats around. The lighting outside is natural, it is shot very early in the morning and there is absolutely nobody around. The camera movement always shows the character as very small in the shot, just visibal in distance. This shows his vulnerability and emphasises the fact that he is alone in a deserted area. The first shot of wide shot so that we see the surroundings and chaos. The audience wonder what has happened and the camera just follows what the character is doing and focuses on him.
The music is mostly diegetic, for example the phone banging when he drops it, or the can opening, are all sounds that are there and happen. His voice gets echoed to show that he is alone in very big space, it also gives a feeling of uneasyness, because the sound of the echo sounds creepy. When non-diegetic sound is added, the sadness of the situation is emphasised by the sound of strings and a meloncholy rythm shows his loneliness and boredom.
The only editing that is done is the cutting between shots. mostly the camera is tracking him.
The setting and location is firstly a messed up deserted hospital and then we go outside and we see that we are in central london. This makes a connection with the audience because most people who are watching this clip know that central london is always very busy and packed. The fact that there is not a soul there except for one man, and the places is full of strange things like turned over buses and smashed stuff, gives the impression that this could be real and the audience feel like they are there experiencing it. This creates suspense even though nothing is actualy happening.
Wednesday 31 December 2008
Lesson before Xmas
In our last lesson before christmas we brainstormed the different types of thrillers that exist, and think about what sort would be appropriate for our group, for example we could not do a love scandal where the husband kills the boyfriends because we are an all girl group. We then watched short clips from the following thrillers. "28 days later", "The Shining", "Collateral" and "What lies beneath". We had to fill in a grid commenting on lighting, camera movement, music, editing and setting/location and say why these aspects made the clip suspenseful. We then had to chose what clip we wanted to evaluate on this blog.
Tuesday 30 December 2008
Last Media Lesson - Stephanie Brand
In our last media lesson before the holidays we started by making a brainstormn of the different thrillers that exists.
We aslo watched four clips from the following movies: "28 Days Later" "The Shining" "Collateral" and "What Lies Beneath".
The reason why we watched these clips was to watch them carefully and to write about the: Lighting, Use of the camera, Music, Editing and Setting & Location. By filling out the table we could distinguish water factors affect the clip that make it suspensful.
We aslo watched four clips from the following movies: "28 Days Later" "The Shining" "Collateral" and "What Lies Beneath".
The reason why we watched these clips was to watch them carefully and to write about the: Lighting, Use of the camera, Music, Editing and Setting & Location. By filling out the table we could distinguish water factors affect the clip that make it suspensful.
What Lies Beneath Analysis - Stephanie Brand
In the begining of the scene we are already tense because theres a slow but deep soundtracks playing in the background, its very quiet, it sounds like a very quiet high pitched squeek and as the lady slowly pulls the plug hole we know something is going to happen because of the reason that she takes her time to pull it and she looks like she is unsure about doing it. When she pulls the plug hole the sound of the water going down the drain gradually gets louder and when the camera slightly zooms out to see her reflection in the water going down, we dont just see her reflection but another womens too, then there is a LOUD "SHTOOM" when the other lady appeard and then the lady that has pulled the plug hole screams LOUDER! This makes the audience jump because all throught out the begining of the clip the audion is very low until she get s to the bath, pulls the plug and sees another womens reflection then there's a LOUD sound and a VERY LOUD scream!
Although we dont know what is going to happen we are still in suspense because as the audience we are eager to know what is going to happen once the plug is pulled.
Although we dont know what is going to happen we are still in suspense because as the audience we are eager to know what is going to happen once the plug is pulled.
Let 'Em Play God - Stephanie Brand
Alfred Hitchcock has worked in making pictures (thirllers, dark mysteries and chillers) for 17 years and does not believe that that puzzling the aundince is the essence of suspence. Alfred Hitchcock explains that the way to keep an audience on the edge of their seats is through "Suspense". His way of keeping the aundience in this "suspense" is to let them play God. He says that its a brutal act if the audience do not k now what is going to happen next or who the killer is for example because then the audience will be confused and will not know wether to cheer or weep.
On the other hand if the audience does know and they know more than the characters in the movie itself, then the audience will "work like the devil because they know what fate is facing the poor actors" this is what Alfred describes as "Playing God" and the perfect example of "Suspense".
He explains that if the audicence know everything from the start then the audience will not be puzzled. So if there is a murderer inthe movie, no one on the screen knows who the murder is except the muderer himself and the fact the audicence do know and watch the actors suffer then this makes real suspense for the audience. Questions that the audience will be asking themselves like "Will the muderers break and give themselves away?" or "How long will that blood lie in its grave without being dicovered?", if the audience are asking themselves these questions then the audience will want to be shouting at the screen constantly because they will know the consequences of one wrong turn is made.
On the other hand if the audience does know and they know more than the characters in the movie itself, then the audience will "work like the devil because they know what fate is facing the poor actors" this is what Alfred describes as "Playing God" and the perfect example of "Suspense".
He explains that if the audicence know everything from the start then the audience will not be puzzled. So if there is a murderer inthe movie, no one on the screen knows who the murder is except the muderer himself and the fact the audicence do know and watch the actors suffer then this makes real suspense for the audience. Questions that the audience will be asking themselves like "Will the muderers break and give themselves away?" or "How long will that blood lie in its grave without being dicovered?", if the audience are asking themselves these questions then the audience will want to be shouting at the screen constantly because they will know the consequences of one wrong turn is made.
Friday 19 December 2008
Monday 15 December 2008
Camera Tutorial
Before we wre able to starrt filming, we had to watch a video teaching us the important things on the video camera and learning how to use it safely. First we watched how to insert the battery then we had a go at it ourselves. Then how to insert the tape and eject the tape without breaking it. We then learnt about the tripod and how essemble it. We then had a go at attatching the camera to the tripod securely. After we had the camera ready, we were told about the 5 second rule, where there has to be 5 seconds of rubbish footage and the start and the end of each clip we filmed. We were then able to go away and film succesfully.
The Shining - Stephanie Brand
In todays lesson we watched a Thriller Movie called "The Shining" by Alfred Hitchcock .
We were asked to look at what features the movie has that makes it suspenseful. Where were asked to look at three examples and for each write down what happens in the scene and how it is suspenseful.
In the beginning of the film we are shown from a Birds Eye View, the scenery, is a car driving off to the mountains and while we are watching this there is a soundtrack playing, like a heartbeat sound which gives the audience an immediate feeeling that we are going to be kept in suspense troughout the movie and this keeps the audience in constact contact with what we are watching. Alfred Hitchcock tends to always give the audience a big idea of what might happen in the movie before the actual characters know themselves what is going on.
A second example of how the director keeps the audience under suspense is when Danny, the little boy is playing around the hotel in the long corridors, it keeps the audience in suspense because of sounds that are playing in the background and when things start to appear the sounds become louder! The fact that it takes place in an big empty hotel emphasises the fact that something out of the ordinary is obviously going to happen. Also when a tennis ball appears while the little boy is playing with the trucks along the corridor really scares the audience because the tennis ball appears from nowhere and when Danny gets up to see where it came from, room 237 is open and this makes the audience tense as we know that he is not meant to go inside the room.
All trouhtout the movie we are lept in constant suspense, and most of it is all because of the sounds that are you and the constanst repetition of scenes, like when the little boy plays in the long empty corridors by himself, its obvious to the audience that something is bound to happen.
We were asked to look at what features the movie has that makes it suspenseful. Where were asked to look at three examples and for each write down what happens in the scene and how it is suspenseful.
In the beginning of the film we are shown from a Birds Eye View, the scenery, is a car driving off to the mountains and while we are watching this there is a soundtrack playing, like a heartbeat sound which gives the audience an immediate feeeling that we are going to be kept in suspense troughout the movie and this keeps the audience in constact contact with what we are watching. Alfred Hitchcock tends to always give the audience a big idea of what might happen in the movie before the actual characters know themselves what is going on.
A second example of how the director keeps the audience under suspense is when Danny, the little boy is playing around the hotel in the long corridors, it keeps the audience in suspense because of sounds that are playing in the background and when things start to appear the sounds become louder! The fact that it takes place in an big empty hotel emphasises the fact that something out of the ordinary is obviously going to happen. Also when a tennis ball appears while the little boy is playing with the trucks along the corridor really scares the audience because the tennis ball appears from nowhere and when Danny gets up to see where it came from, room 237 is open and this makes the audience tense as we know that he is not meant to go inside the room.
All trouhtout the movie we are lept in constant suspense, and most of it is all because of the sounds that are you and the constanst repetition of scenes, like when the little boy plays in the long empty corridors by himself, its obvious to the audience that something is bound to happen.
The Shining 15.12.08
In today’s lesson (15.12.08) we watched the thriller film ‘The Shining’. The film uses camerawork, sound, editing and mise-en-scene to convey the conventions of a thriller film, the main convention being suspense. Throughout the movie the main technique used to create suspense and tension is sound. Mostly non-diegetic, however, on the other hand silence is used quite effectively to build up tension and suspense.
The task for the lesson was to pick out three scenes from the film that we thought was the most suspenseful and why.
During the opening sequence there is non-diegetic sound playing while we have a birds eye view (Ariel shot) of mountains. The camera follows the car up the mountains. The volume and pitch increase to create a tense atmosphere. The speed of the camera movement increases as the volume of the music increases also.
Throughout the film there is the theme of loneliness and isolation. This is shown in the opening sequence as the audience see the car travelling up lonely mountains to a big, empty isolated hotel in the middle of ‘no where’. This is quite suspenseful because as the audience we are made to believe something is going to happen because it is unusual for a person/family to stay in a big hotel, in the mountain sides alone, especially with a storm brewing.
As the audience we are given a hint about the events that will happen throughout the movie because the storyline is given during the interview with the hotel owner. From this, the audience start to think this is what is going to happen to this family. This is quite suspenseful because as the audience we know it is going to happen while the characters don’t and we are just waiting for it to happen. This is a well-known technique of Alfred Hitchcock (the ‘king’ of suspense) to create suspense. It’s his idea of letting the audience ‘play-god’. This basically means letting the audience know what’s going to happen before the characters do. For example, there is a man waiting at the end of a corridor for a girl. We know the man is waiting but the girl does not so we are seen as omniscient.
An example of this in the movie is when the head chef arrives near the end of the movie. We know the father is standing behind the column with an axe but the chef doesn’t. This gets the audience on the edge of their seats because there waiting for the action to take place.
However there are some scenes when the audience are left in the same suspense as the characters, for example, when we are following Danny through the corridors of the hotel on his bike. We are behind him so we don’t know what is around the corner either.
Another suspenseful moment in the movie is when the head chef and Danny are talking in the kitchen and the chef finds out Danny has the Shining also and Danny inquires about room 237. The chef gets frightened and frustrated and warns Danny never to enter that room. From his response the audience are aware that something is wrong with room 237 or something is in it. When Danny arrives outside room 237, he just sits there looking at the door. The music helps build up the suspense and tension because we are curious to see if he is going to enter the room after being forbidden.
Throughout the movie, sound is the most dominant technique used to create suspense. The volume increases when the audience are about to encounter a key part of the story line, the sound is used to make the audience identify with the situation about to take place. As the volume and pitch increases the suspense, curiosity and tension of the audience increases also.
The task for the lesson was to pick out three scenes from the film that we thought was the most suspenseful and why.
During the opening sequence there is non-diegetic sound playing while we have a birds eye view (Ariel shot) of mountains. The camera follows the car up the mountains. The volume and pitch increase to create a tense atmosphere. The speed of the camera movement increases as the volume of the music increases also.
Throughout the film there is the theme of loneliness and isolation. This is shown in the opening sequence as the audience see the car travelling up lonely mountains to a big, empty isolated hotel in the middle of ‘no where’. This is quite suspenseful because as the audience we are made to believe something is going to happen because it is unusual for a person/family to stay in a big hotel, in the mountain sides alone, especially with a storm brewing.
As the audience we are given a hint about the events that will happen throughout the movie because the storyline is given during the interview with the hotel owner. From this, the audience start to think this is what is going to happen to this family. This is quite suspenseful because as the audience we know it is going to happen while the characters don’t and we are just waiting for it to happen. This is a well-known technique of Alfred Hitchcock (the ‘king’ of suspense) to create suspense. It’s his idea of letting the audience ‘play-god’. This basically means letting the audience know what’s going to happen before the characters do. For example, there is a man waiting at the end of a corridor for a girl. We know the man is waiting but the girl does not so we are seen as omniscient.
An example of this in the movie is when the head chef arrives near the end of the movie. We know the father is standing behind the column with an axe but the chef doesn’t. This gets the audience on the edge of their seats because there waiting for the action to take place.
However there are some scenes when the audience are left in the same suspense as the characters, for example, when we are following Danny through the corridors of the hotel on his bike. We are behind him so we don’t know what is around the corner either.
Another suspenseful moment in the movie is when the head chef and Danny are talking in the kitchen and the chef finds out Danny has the Shining also and Danny inquires about room 237. The chef gets frightened and frustrated and warns Danny never to enter that room. From his response the audience are aware that something is wrong with room 237 or something is in it. When Danny arrives outside room 237, he just sits there looking at the door. The music helps build up the suspense and tension because we are curious to see if he is going to enter the room after being forbidden.
Throughout the movie, sound is the most dominant technique used to create suspense. The volume increases when the audience are about to encounter a key part of the story line, the sound is used to make the audience identify with the situation about to take place. As the volume and pitch increases the suspense, curiosity and tension of the audience increases also.
The Shining
Today in our lesson we had to watch the thriller 'The Shining'. We had to fill in a sheet, noticing at least 3 suspenseful moments. The very first moment that I noticed was the opening credits. There is a picture of the main character looking the the bathroom door when he has gone mad, this put with music that builds created tension, this makes you wonder what is going to happen in the film. The second moment is when Daniel, the little boy, is alone in the games room playing darts, music suddenly starts and the camera zooms in on him slowly, he is looking at something with a look of fright on his face. The camera suddenly cuts to a shot of two little girls and then back to Daniel's face. This shows us that Daniel is scared of the little girls and what he can see. The third scene that I thought was suspenseful was when Daniel and Wendy are getting a tour of the food cupboard and a high pitched sound suddenly comes which builds and gets louder and more high pitched as the camera zooms in on Daniel. The mans voice fades and the camera slowly pans round to his face and he looks at the camera. This gives the audience the feeling that something is going to happen to the man or that they have some sort of connection. Towards the end of the film the amount of suspense is heightened. The scene where Jack is chasing his son, the camera is tracking him and it feels like we are with him and we don't know what is around the corner.
Sunday 14 December 2008
Stephanie Brand - Thriller - 3rd lesson
In our final lesson working on our clip, we arranged our clips in the order we wanted them to be in. We spent a long time making sure the clips were positioned in the right place, made sure the timing was right and we also added added some transitions that made it seem less obvious where the sudden cuts in the film had been made. After the clip was looking the way we wanted it to, we then cut out the original sound from the clip and were introduced to the sounds clips that we could add instead of the original sound. The clips that we added made the clip sound and look much more thrilling.
We then moved our movie clip back into final cut pro and saved it. We also had to convert the movie clip into a quicktime file so that we could upload it into our blog.
The result of our clip was really good. Overall our clip came out even better than we expected, it was fun to work in a group and learn how to use the cameras and final cut pro.
I learnt that depending on what order the clips are in and what the sound clip is it can change the whole meaning of the clip.
We then moved our movie clip back into final cut pro and saved it. We also had to convert the movie clip into a quicktime file so that we could upload it into our blog.
The result of our clip was really good. Overall our clip came out even better than we expected, it was fun to work in a group and learn how to use the cameras and final cut pro.
I learnt that depending on what order the clips are in and what the sound clip is it can change the whole meaning of the clip.
Stephanie Brand - Thriller - 2nd lesson
The following lesson we were intorduced to the cameras we were going to use to record our clip. We were shown how to put in the battery, cassettes, how to use the tripod etc. Making sure that our story board was completed, we then went off to record our film. We recorded Micheala reading the newspaper in the toilet, it was really good fun as we had to decide what positions we wanted her to be in and we got to control how zoomed in we wanted the shots to be. As well as working hard we also developed directing skills and learnt how to communicate better working in a group as we had to listen to the other girls opinions and all agree on a final decision. After we finished recording we uploaded the full movie clip to the iMac computers and started to use the programme Final Cut Pro.
Firstly we had to cut the movie clip into smaller clips so it would make it easier to put different pieces of the clips together and to add the "in" and "out" positions in the clips.
Firstly we had to cut the movie clip into smaller clips so it would make it easier to put different pieces of the clips together and to add the "in" and "out" positions in the clips.
Stephanie Brand - Thriller - 1st lesson
In the first lesson we were put into groups and were given cameras to take pictures and make a story board of how we could record a "Thrilling" movie clip of someone reading a newspaper. In our groups we decided to record one of us girls in the group reading a newspaper in the toilet and make it look as thrilling end exciting as we could. We then made our way to the toilets and gradually started to take different pictures to show what kind of shots we were going to use, medium shot, extreme close up etc. Also to show what angels the shots were going to be in.
Friday 12 December 2008
A Thrilling Read
We got put into groups and we were asked to film someone reading a newspaper in an exciting and thrilling way, so that we can practice before we do our actual thriller. We filmed Michaela in the toilet reading the newspaper, different angles and shots to make it thrilling. We then used 'Final cut pro' to edit the clips and make them into a long clip. We then inserted transitions where needed to make it smoother and more slick. We then added 3 different clips of music and layered them so that the music builds up, we used silence to add tension and at the end the front page story was about an aeroplane accident, so we put a sound of an aeroplane when the focus was on the headline.
As Thriller Practical 11.12.08
In todays lesson we began editing our project on a 'Thrilling Read' using the program Final Cut Pro. We we inserted our 'in' and 'out' points on each clip and dragged them down unto the timeline. Next we added Cross Dissolve Transistions where needed. We then went on to export the video into Soundtrack Pro to add a soundtrack. After browsing all the different catergories we picked several beats and instruments put them together, adding an extra layer. Finally we exported the video clip with the soundtrack back to Final Cut Pro and saved it onto the video drive.
Tuesday 2 December 2008
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