shot sizes and shot angles

Extreme long shot(XLS)
long shot:(LS)
Mid long shot:(MLS)
Mid shot:(MS)
Mid close up:(MSU)
Close up:(CU)
Big close up:(BCU)
Extreme close up:(XCU)
                                      

Thriller conventions

Conventions

The aim of a thriller is to make the audience feel anxious and keep them alert. Central to the plot could be Justice vs Injustice, some of which could have blurred line of good and bad, these could have red herrings,enigma,cliff hangers or a plot twist.It feels like your on the edge of your seat when your watching a thriller it builds up tension and suspense  In a thriller they also have a range of emotions such as excitement, being anxious and shocked etc. 

Sub genres

• In crime thriller there could be revenge and kidnapping.
• In mystery thriller there could be investigations could take place.
• In Psychological there could be mind games,horror, stalking and death traps.
• In political there could be national or international political scenarios.

The moods that is included in a thriller could be murder, menace, mystery and paranoia.Thrillers usually make the world/place look like it is dark and dangerous. Its usually a character on a mission where trying to escape is impossible.


Thriller Conventions can consist of these listed below:

• Tension
• Fast Editing
• Red Herring
• Cliffhangers
• Dilemma
• Suspense

And many more ...

Lighting

In a studio when they are filming it is usually form three different light source such as:

Key lighting: Brightest, main light on subject. It is usually the most influential.
Back lighting: counters the key light, making the character or object look more rounded.
Filler lighting: Softens the harsh key light, eliminates harsh shadows and there may be more than one filler light.

These source of lighting can be in different positions which makes different affect:

• Under lighting: This is where the lighting is coming from underneath this creates a distorting effect of the character/object.This kind of lighting is used in thrillers and horror films.
• Top lighting: This lighting comes from above which gives a flattering look and highlights the features of the character. If it was used in a film with someone glamorous in it then this kind of lighting will be used.
• Back lighting: this light source comes from behind the subject.If no lighting is used this lighting also creates silhouettes.

Low Key lighting: This is created by using the key light and back light.This will create a contrast of light and dark areas on the screen as very deep, distinct shadows are formed. This is also known as chiaroscuro, which in Italian it means light.

High Key lighting: This affect is created by using lots of filler light, the lighting to our eyes makes the image look realistic and normal. This reduces the light in the image and makes the character/object bright and happy.

Editing and continuity editing

Continuity editing this refer to arranging the sequence of shots to suggest a progression of events.If they use the same shot the editor can come up with different types of scenarios.
For example:

•  A man glancing up in surprise 
• Another man pulling a gun and firing it towards the camera

In the first order it looks like the first man has been shot. But if you reverse the order the an is watching a shooting take place.

Editing is the process of looking at all of the footage shot during the making of a film and programs and placing it in he desired order and joining it together.
There are two key areas to concentrate on with editing:

Speed of editing: how long does each shot last.
Style of lighting: How each shot is joined to the next.

Dissolve:

• Merge to a different scene
• Artificial web to real web
• Fading one shot of screen while another shot is fading out.
• See both shots-used:connection between two characters, fades places or object.
• A gradual darkening or lightning black/white.
• One shot fade until only a black or white screen can be seen.
• Indicate in the end of a particular section within the narrator.
• Can show the passing of time.

Straight Cut:

• most common and invisible form of transition.
• one shot instantaneously to the next without attracting the audiences attention.
• straight cuts help retain reality. They don't break viewers suspension of disbelief.

Wipes:

• One image is pushed off the screen by another.
• Image can be pushed left or right.
• Is more common for image to be pushed to left more consistence. 

Jump Cut:

• A jump cut is where the audiences attention is brought into focus on something very suddenly.
• This occurs by breaking the continually editing,this is known as discontinuity.
• It appears as a section of the film has been removed. A moment when the film is stopped.

Unknown

The film that we have been watching is called Unknown (2011), which is a action film and mysterious. This is a different type of film we have watched in class that contain a lot of violent and horrifying scenes.

While his wife checks in at a hotel he goes grabs a car to return to the airport for his briefcase, which is left at the curb. They both get into the car they both have a car crash at the beginning of the film which puts him into a coma. From which he awakes four days later, only to discover that his identity has been taken away from him leaving him with no one. He goes to the hotel, his wife refuses to recognize him as she's with another man who is claiming his identity.

As he wants his wife back he tries getting help from a nurse, the cab driver,a retired agent and an academic friend he tries to unravel what's been going on for the four days his been in a coma.

As the film goes by he starts to capture images in his head and then starts to remember what has been happening. 

He knows that he is being tricked in someone else taken his identity and tries getting it back. As he gets his suitcase he remembers the lock code and is give to him.

Chuck Jones and 'The rules'

Chuck Jones is a animated character who works at Warner Brothers for decades making short movies. Starring bugs bunny, Daffy Duck and the company. He also made the road runners cartoons and from the first episode, an elaborate set of rules emerged.

The Rules

1. The Road Runner cannot harm the Coyote except by going "meep, meep."

2. No outside force can harm the Coyote -- only his own ineptitude or the failure of Acme products. Trains and trucks were the exception from time to time.

3. The Coyote could stop anytime -- if he were not a fanatic.

4. No dialogue ever, except "meep, meep" and yowling in pain.

5. The Road Runner must stay on the road -- for no other reason than that he's a roadrunner.

6. All action must be confined to the natural environment of the two characters -- the southwest American desert.

7. All tools, weapons, or mechanical conveniences must be obtained from the Acme Corporation.

8. Whenever possible, make gravity the Coyote's greatest enemy.

9. The Coyote is always more humiliated than harmed by his failures.

10. The audience's sympathy must remain with the Coyote.

11. The Coyote is not allowed to catch or eat the Road Runner.

paranormal activity 4

 I done a review of this film as I thought it was a good film to watch. I think this is a tremendous film not as horrifying as i thought it would be but to some people it might make them jump. Below, is a bit about the film but not all of what happens in the film.

This is a film which is based in a home where unbelievable scene take place. It has been five years since the disappearance of Katie and Hunter. After Katie killed her boyfriend, sister and husband and took their baby Hunter. This was filmed in 2011 when all this took place. This is five years later which mainly focuses on Alex and her family and the little boy who lives across the street named Robbie since the new neighbours have moved into town.

One night Alex is on her laptop to her boyfriend Ben and then she hear sirens coming from outside she checks whats happening and then realizes that something has happened to Robbie's mum. So she quickly goes and tells her mum as Robbie's mum goes hospital Robbie has to stay in Alex's house.
At night before she goes sleep she goes on webcam to Ben and talks to him. When she goes downstairs she takes her laptop with her and she hears various noises.

So her boyfriend starts to set up laptops around the house which stays on all night and records all the movement around the house. As they record each event every night a scene takes place where Robbie is possessed and he goes downstairs and talks to his imaginative friend. Robbie seems interested in  Alex's brother called Wyatts but they both try and keep the secret away from Alex.

She explains it to her parents but they don't seem to understand the situation or believe what they say. There are some night where objects break but the parents don't know how unlike Alex and Ben they do.

Sound Exercise

Where were you?

This was a sound exercise we were asked to do, to see if we can use the microphones to capture sounds as we experimented with it. This video was directed by Lucie Stevens and starring myself and Taylor Anne-Corney. This video contains a one on one conversation between myself and Taylor Corney. It took us a short amount of time to edit the video and upload it as it was a short conversation for the sound exercise.

This is the video we have made below:

Diegetic and non-diegetic sounds

Diegetic

Diegetic sound can also be known as actual sound in a film. This is sound that is visible on the screen or it can also be off screen e.g. Voices of characters, sound made by objects in the story or it could be music which is represented as instruments in the story space.

This can be an example of a diegetic sound:

Non- diegetic

Non diegetic sound can be known as commentary sound in a film. This is sound that is not visible or it is represented as a sound coming from a outside story. This is sound effect which is added as a dramatic effect, mood music or narrators commentary.

This can be an example of a non- diegetic sound:

Camera Shot Exercise

A Lovers Tiff

This is our first video by Me(Tania Begum), Ashleigh Westcott, Lucie Stevens we filmed a short clip using all the different camera techniques we have learnt in class.

Evaluation

We was asked to create a short clip using the camera shots e.g. Low angles,High angles, P.O.V, over the shoulders etc. Lucie Stevens was the person who filmed it alongside me who was the director. Also, there was Ashleigh Westcott and Georgia Meakin who was the actors of the clip. As our first filming we recorded in Robert Clack Lower School and i believe we communicated well as a group. We put our ideas together as we planned this video and i think it went well with the acting as well as the filming and editing. As we edited the video we cut out all the extra parts that was not needed in the video an tried to take as many shots from different angles to make the video look better. We made our clip in slow motion so it could merge in with the music by Edwina Hayes. I reckon that this song fitted perfectly with out video because of the slow motion we added.

Mise-en-scene

Mise-en-scene

It is the arrangement of everything that appears in the framing, which is the camera shot that is being taken. This can be important for the viewers as they might pick out little objects or shots that could symbolize something. E.g. The colour black can refer to darkness, the absence of light, fear,murder, scared etc. Also, the colour red can refer to different types of emotion which can be red standing for fire which is danger or red could stand for love, this all depends on the genre of the film.

The most important part of the film is to insure they have correct props,  tones, actors, lightening and costumes. This is what makes the film come to real life and gives that effect to the film genre.

Examples of this could be a shot of a tree, this can be threatening as the shot could be in the dark. But as you can see below there can be another shot of the tree which is in the daylight which can be used to make it look happy and non- threatening. 

Psycho By Alfred Hitchcock

Psycho 

This is another of Alfred Hitchcock film that we have seen in class. It is a horror and mysterious film. As they say It Is Required That You See Psycho From The Very Beginning!

There is a man called Norman Bates who has two different personality and throughout the whole film he pretends to be two person without the audience even knowing until the end. As we find out that he acts as his mother and himself. 
Phoenix office worker Marion Crane is fed up with how life has been treating her and how people control her. She has a lover called Sam but they can only see each other on there lunch breaks. They want to get married but they don't have enough money because Sam has to give his money away in alimony. As Marion's employer trusts her, he gives her $40,000 to put in the bank. But Marion decides to run away with the money and start a new life. So she leaves the town and head towards Sam's California store. As she's tired after that long day and caught in the storm, she decides to pull over to The Bates Motel.

As she books into the check book she is given a room and some food to eat by Norman. Then she decides to go into the shower with out knowing what is going to happen.  As shes having a bath u get this Non-diegetic sound which creates calm and relaxing feeling. But as soon as the curtains are open the diegetic sound takes place as it puts the audience in shock and danger. As she gets murdered in the shower by his mother.

This is showing us that Norman's mother is killing Marion whilst she's having a shower. It shows us that she's in full shock but don't have time to escape and then is killed.

He drags her body to the boot and in the river and he claims she never stayed in the motel to the detective,as she was missing for a few days. Then the detective finds out her name was in the check book and so Norman changed the story and said he did not talk to her that night as she was tired and she left the next morning.



As Norman don't want anyone to know his mothers identity and don't want anyone to get close to his mother he tries killing people to hide the truth. As everything is revealed at the end of the scene.

Recipe for a thriller

What is a thriller?

A thriller is usually either a book or film which is designed to make the reader or audience with suspenseful and sensational actions.

Thriller can can be characterized in many ways such as fast-pacing, frequent actions, resourceful heroes. devices such as suspense, red herrings and cliffhangers are usually used extensively, this is so it catches the viewers attention. A thriller is an obstacle a hero has to overcome.

There are different types of thriller that we have discussed in class: 
Sub genres 


Crime thriller: This genre is a hybrid type of both crime films and thrillers. It creates suspense to the viewer as they don't know what's going to happen next. if the scene is between the criminal and the policeman the film usually focuses on the criminal not the policeman. Crime thriller usually emphasise action over psychological aspects. E.g. The Dark Knight by Christopher Nolan

Conspiracy thriller: is when the villain confront a large group of enemies. this thriller is often journalists or amateur investigators who find themselves pulling on a small thread which unravels everything. E.g. State of play by Kevin Macdonald. 


Action thriller: in which the work often features a race against the clock, contains lots of violence, and an obvious antagonist. these film usually contain large amount of guns and explosion. E.g.

Disaster thriller: in which the main conflict is due to some sort  of natural or artificial disaster such as floods.

Drama thriller: consists of the elements of a thriller and drama film. These fils are usually slower paced and and sometimes involves a plot twist.

Erotic thriller: this contains erotica and thriller. This has become popular since 1980's and the rise of VCR market penetration.

Spy thriller: in which there is a hero that tried getting rid of violent actions.