Wednesday, 20 April 2016
Fargo Elevator Scene Shot List
Outside the Elevator
Shot 1-
Close up of Malvo pressing Elevator button. Over shoulder shot.
Shot 2-
Wide angle of a corridor. Lester walking down towards Malvo anticipating a showdown.
Shot 3-
Close up of Malvos face.
Shot 4- Mid
Shot of Lester and Malvo waiting for the elevator.
Inside the Elevator
Shot
5/10/13/19/26/29- Mid shot of Malvo
Shot
6/8/11/14/20/27/30- Mid Shot of Lester
Shot 7/9-
Wide shot of girl, also shows some of the inside of the elevator.
Shot 12-
Mid Close up of girl.
Shot 15/17-
Mid close up of Malvo with a gun.
Shot 16-
Mid close up of girl screaming.
Shot 18/28-
Overhead/crane shot of girl lying on the floor. (Important)
Camera Outside of Elevator
Shot
21/25/32- Mid Shot of Lester and Part of door
Shot 22/24-
Wide shot of Lester and Malvo peeking out the elevator
Shot 23-
POV shot of hallway (Important)
Shot 31-
POV Shot of other hallway (Important)
Shot 33-Medium
Malvo looking out of the elevator
Shot
34- Extreme Close up Lester hits Malvo over
the head
Shot 35-
OTS Lester running down hallway
Shot 36-
Medium shot Lester running towards camera
Shot 37-
Master shot Malvo stood at the door of the elevator.
Saturday, 16 April 2016
Fargo Elevator Scene Evaluation
Evaluation
After much discussion, my group decided on the
idea of shooting a scene from popular TV series Fargo. The scene chosen is from
Season 1 Episode 9. It is set in an elevator with two main characters (Malvo
and Lester) and three smaller characters consisting of 2 females and one male. The
reason we picked this scene was primarily because of the location and how easy
it would be to find actors to star in it.
The equipment that was taken out of stores to
film was a 5 In
1 Reflector, Boom Pole, Manfrotto Tripod, MFS Indoor Boom Mic, MFS XLR Cable
& JVC HM150. However, when it came to setting up and filming, it was
decided that natural lighting should be used and so the light reflector wasn’t
needed. Another piece of equipment used was a selfie stick. This was attached
to a IPhone and used to get the over head shot. This was possibly the hardest
shot to get as it was hard to get the perfect height to fit everything in the
frame. My biggest fear with this was the dip in quality going from the JVC to
the IPhone camera. However, when it came to editing, it was hardly noticeable.
One of my biggest fears when it came to the
planning was definitely how we where going to find an elevator for us to use that
was both big enough to fit the camera and actors in and also one that doesn’t
get used a lot so there was less disruption to the filming. After much
searching and even phoning the Premier Inn in Preston, it was decided that the
ideal elevator to use was in the Media Factory close to the stores. I felt that
using a university elevator wouldn’t work as they are always getting used and
we would need more time to ask the relevant members of staff to block the
elevator for a few hours. We decided the best way to solve this would be to use
the elevator but work around it being used. This took slightly more time as
filming was interrupted by people using it.
My role in the filming process was originally
producer and to operate the camera however it was decided that everyone in the
group should just share the roles. I felt that this helped to an extent as I
was able to learn new things along the way however, there was never any real
structure to the whole process and ideas where constantly changing all the time
even during filming.
When it came to the filming and the planning, I
felt that certain members of my group could have participated more, it seemed
they spent a large amount of time messing around and even turning up hours late
on a few occasions meaning equipment had to be loaned out for another day. As
the filming took place in only the one location, it should have easily taken a
couple of hours to film at the most yet it took almost a week. If it came to
reshooting this, I wouldn’t choose to work with the group again because of this
and how frustrating it was to try and get them to act in a professional way.
I believe that there where some major positives
that came out of the filming process. For example, after being continuously let
down by actors failing to show up, we as a group stepped in and tried our hand
at acting ourselves. This actually worked quite well as we had all seen the
particular episode and the scene we wanted to recreate, and so had a better
understanding of it as well as the characters themselves. Because of this,
nobody had any form of costume with them and so we shot it in the moment. This
sort of turned out to be a ‘happy accident’ as I believe it puts our own spin
on it and makes it slightly more fun.
To conclude, I believe the recreation turned
out better than expected and the editing has really made a difference with the
lighting and sound etc. It has our own spin on something that could have easily
have been recreated shot for shot off the original scene. As mentioned above, given the choice, I wouldn’t
choose to work with this group again as the filming did seem a little bit
rushed and took far too long costing us actors and valuable editing time.
80's Music Video
The first filming assignment we had to create was a reshoot of an 80's music video. Our group chose to recreate Whitney Houston 'I wanna Dance with Somebody'.We chose to do this purely based on our abilities as a group and also the resources and equipment we where able to get a hold of.
Below is the original video for the song.
As it was a reshoot, we decided to do it quite differently. Using a Canon DSLR, we took different photos so instead of it being a video, it is actually a series of photographs. However, if we could refill it, we would definitely choose to film it instead on a JVC camera.
Overall, it was a successful shoot and I was able to learn new techniques etc both in terms of filming and editing.
True Romance
True RomanceDuring one of our sessions in class, we watched True Romance. The 1993 classic was directed by Tony Scott. It was written by Quentin Tarantino and stars Christopher Slater, Patricia Arquette, Gary Oldham, Brad Pitt and Christopher Walken.
IMDB Description- Clarence marries hooker Alabama, steals cocaine from her pimp and tries to sell it in Hollywood, while the owners of the coke try to reclaim it.
Rating- 8/10
Surprisingly, this was the first time I'd ever watched the film although it had been on my list for quite sometime. It was definitely worth the wait as I thoroughly enjoyed it. The story was easy to follow and I was hooked from the start. Although I felt at some times it was a little rushed, particularly when Clarence and Alabama were escaping from the hotel room towards the end. This scene just seemed as though it was there to wrap things up quickly. Would somebody not stopped them from leaving the hotel? That being said, I did feel satisfied with the overall ending.
Film Reviewer Roger Ebert gave it a total of 3 stars and for him, that is quite good. However, he did describe it as, at some points, 'cliche' with an 'enchanting goofiness'. This I agree with as some parts were very stereotypical of the type of genre.
In keeping with the genre of action and crime, the fight scenes did not disappoint. I was most surprised to see the roles reversed in that it was Alabama doing the fighting and not Clarence. This wasn't usual during the early 90's movies. It really showed that women where just as capable as men in terms of fighting.
Wednesday, 30 March 2016
Se7en
Over a few a sessions, we watched Se7en. It wasn't the first time I had seen the film having studied it for my A2 Film Studies exam in college. I enjoyed it then and this time was no different. I find each time I watch it I spot something new and I am always amazed and shocked at the ending every time.
About Se7en
- Released in 1995
- Directed by David Fincher
- Written by Andrew Kevin Walker
- Starring Morgan Freeman, Brad Pitt, Kevin Spacey, Gwyneth Paltrow
- IMDB 8.6/10
Description
Two detectives, a rookie and a veteran, hunt a serial killer who uses the seven deadly sins as his modus operandi. (according to IMDB)
My Views
As already mentioned above, this wasn't my first time watching Se7en and it certainly won't be my last. I find it's one of those films that just never gets old. Despite being released over 20 years ago, it still seems quite an iconic movie.
There is one part of the film that I particularly enjoy and that is that the beginning credits. I enjoy other parts of the film but the credits are one thing that really stands out to me. I can watch it over and over again and find something completely different about it each time. The amount of thought and work that went into creating it is really inspiring. In a strange way, after watching the entire film a couple times, you realise that you can sort of see the whole story in the first five minutes. I think this was done brilliantly by the editors and director.
The story itself is quite dark and this is reflected on screen by the lack of lighting and the generally dark and dismal mise-en-scene.
After doing some research, I learnt that when the film was first released, any posters, ads and even the opening credits didn't contain the name of the killer played by Kevin Spacey. I believe this was a good move by the editors as it allowed the audience to guess and it made it so much more realistic.
According to Rogerebert.com, it was worthy of 4 stars out of 4 which shows just how much of an exceptional film it is even 20 years later.
Trailer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4YV2_TcCoE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEZK7mJoPLY - opening credits.
There is one part of the film that I particularly enjoy and that is that the beginning credits. I enjoy other parts of the film but the credits are one thing that really stands out to me. I can watch it over and over again and find something completely different about it each time. The amount of thought and work that went into creating it is really inspiring. In a strange way, after watching the entire film a couple times, you realise that you can sort of see the whole story in the first five minutes. I think this was done brilliantly by the editors and director.
The story itself is quite dark and this is reflected on screen by the lack of lighting and the generally dark and dismal mise-en-scene.
After doing some research, I learnt that when the film was first released, any posters, ads and even the opening credits didn't contain the name of the killer played by Kevin Spacey. I believe this was a good move by the editors as it allowed the audience to guess and it made it so much more realistic.
According to Rogerebert.com, it was worthy of 4 stars out of 4 which shows just how much of an exceptional film it is even 20 years later.
Trailer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4YV2_TcCoE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEZK7mJoPLY - opening credits.
Thursday, 24 March 2016
Thriller Poster
I originally started this assignment with the idea of researching and creating a poster based on the horror genre. However, after much research on this and other genres, I decided to base my work on the thriller genre. I felt there was much more information and more successful films/ directors and actors that work within this genre.
About the Genre
Thriller uses suspense, tension and excitement as its main elements. Thrillers heavily stimulate the viewers mood giving them a high level of anticipation, ultra heightened expectation, uncertainty, surprise, anxiety and terror.
Thriller in Film
As online streaming sites and films are becoming more readily available, there has been a large number of thrillers in the last few years with the introduction of Netflix, Amazon Video etc.
Audience
Thriller films usually have a huge amount of interest although the target audience is mainly 18+ or R rated due to violence and psychological issues that may be portrayed which younger viewers may find rather disturbing.
Iconography
The iconography of thriller often includes some form of weapons such as guns, knives etc. Knives are often used to suggests the ideaof danger and murder to the audience. There are lots of similarities between thriller and horror. One of the most iconic scenes which uses knives is the shower scene in ‘Psycho’. Also, confined spaces are often used to scare the audience and make them feel uncomfortable. An example of this was shown in 127 hours. Shadows are common in psychological thrillers as they show a sense of danger and makes the audience anticipate what is going to come next. Guns are also used as a common weapon which helps to add a sense of realism to the film.
There is also a lot of dramatic music and breathing sounds used to create tension and
have the audience on the edge of their seat.
Directors Associated with the genre
There are many directors associated with thriller films such as Martin Scorsese who is considered one of the greatest directors of all time. He has made a large number of thriller films such as The Departed, Shutter Island, Cape Fear along with many others. He won Academy Award for Best Director for The Departed. He directed his first full length film in 1967 and thriller films are considered to be some of his best work.
Another director that is well known for producing thriller films is David Fincher with films such as Se7en, Gone Girl, Zodiac with many more.
Also, Quentin Tarantinho is famous for movies such as Kill Bill and True Romance.
There are many directors associated with thriller films such as Martin Scorsese who is considered one of the greatest directors of all time. He has made a large number of thriller films such as The Departed, Shutter Island, Cape Fear along with many others. He won Academy Award for Best Director for The Departed. He directed his first full length film in 1967 and thriller films are considered to be some of his best work.
Another director that is well known for producing thriller films is David Fincher with films such as Se7en, Gone Girl, Zodiac with many more.
Also, Quentin Tarantinho is famous for movies such as Kill Bill and True Romance.
Filming Techniques
Thrillers usually feature the
same elements as a horror. For example, there is
often low key lighting and quick cuts used to build
tension. There are also lots of montages of shot.
Also, there are lots of high angle/ birds eye shots
to make the figure or object looked down upon
seem vulnerable and powerless. Thrillers are often
shot to make the audience know just enough
about the story but not enough to guess it to keep
the suspense up throughout the whole film.
Feedback
The feedback I felt I received during this assignment was overall positive and I was able to get new ideas from it before the final submission date. However, I felt I could have done better to get a higher grade and feel that the mark given was fair.
I agree that the statement I made about the target audience being mainly 18+ was quite bold and it really does limit studios as they have not got much of a wider audience. There are lots of examples of 15 rated thrillers or even 12A rated thrillers I could have used. For example, Shutter Island and Prisoners. Also, I really could have added much more images so it wasn't predominately text based and broke it up a bit.
Setting
The typical setting for the thriller genre is often an urban city in order to make it seem as realistic as possible. It can however be set in almost anywhere. Psychological thrillers may be set in a hospital where a character is based. It will usually be dark or set of a night.
Stars such as Leonardo Di Caprio could be linked with thriller films based on his
roles in The Departed, Shutter Island, Blood Diamond and many more. As we can
see, he regularly stars in Martin Scorsese’s thrillers. Also, Ben Afleck is known for
his roles in Gone Girl, Argo and The Town to name a few. Gary Oldman is also
renowned for staring in films such as Leon; The Professional, The Contender etc.
Also, Kevin Spacey is known for his roles in Seven, The Usual Suspects and A Time
to Kill.
Narrative
The typical setting for the thriller genre is often an urban city in order to make it seem as realistic as possible. It can however be set in almost anywhere. Psychological thrillers may be set in a hospital where a character is based. It will usually be dark or set of a night.
Stars
Narrative
Thrillers are often based around the genre of crime although there can
be sub genre’s as you can have thriller\horror and thriller\action.
Thrillers narrative is very reserved so there is not much information
given out. There is an equilibrium and then the equilibrium is disrupted
and then restored again.
Thrillers like to keep the audience guessing on what will happen next and it has twists and turns. There is often questions that will be unanswered until the end of the film or a false clue to throw the audience off track.
Thrillers like to keep the audience guessing on what will happen next and it has twists and turns. There is often questions that will be unanswered until the end of the film or a false clue to throw the audience off track.
Feedback
The feedback I felt I received during this assignment was overall positive and I was able to get new ideas from it before the final submission date. However, I felt I could have done better to get a higher grade and feel that the mark given was fair.
I agree that the statement I made about the target audience being mainly 18+ was quite bold and it really does limit studios as they have not got much of a wider audience. There are lots of examples of 15 rated thrillers or even 12A rated thrillers I could have used. For example, Shutter Island and Prisoners. Also, I really could have added much more images so it wasn't predominately text based and broke it up a bit.