Warp Films
Warp Films was setup in 1999, it is a side project of Warp Records (Warp X), and is based in Sheffield.
Warp was formed to produce a range of British films by unique film producers, it provided opportunities to new writers, producers, directors and of course actors! For instance the prime example of a Warp Films favourite type of person would be Shane Meadows, the director of films such as Dead Man's Shoes and of course This is England!
This is England! is a story about a troubled boy groing up in England, set in 1983. He comes across skinheads on his way home from school after a fight where they beocme his new best friends, practically family. This was all based on experiences of director Shane Meadows.
Monday, 15 December 2008
Wednesday, 10 December 2008
Preliminary Continuity Task
The preliminary continuity task consisted of including reverse shot, match on action and the 180 degree rule.
180 degree rule
The 180 degree rule is quite simple. It is when two people are having the conversation and the line of sight has been set, you can't go across this imaginary line otherwise you can disorientate the viewer. The only time you can come across, or out of, the 180 degree rule is when you clearly show the camera moving sides.
The 180 degree rule is constantly upheld throughout our filming once the 2 characters have sat down. We decided against moving across the 180 degree line due to our script being so small, and losing dramatic affect.
Match on Action
This is when you switch between 2 perspectives of the character, for instance you may see the character open a door from camera one and then switch to camera 2 to see the character coming through the door, by using this the viewer is moving in the same direction as the character and allows the editor to show the shot from different perspectives
We used Match on Action during the first 10 seconds of our filming due to it being mainly convenient.
Reverse Shot
Shot/reverse shot (or shot/countershot) is a film technique used when two characters are looking at each other in one scene. The first character is shown looking at another character. Once the first person has looked towards the other character we can then show character 2 looking back in direction of the first character. The viewer then assumes that the characters are looking at each other.
We used this during the timeframe of 15seconds to 20seconds clearly showing character 1 looking at character 2.
Initial Ideas
Our initial ideas were quite simple, it involved having Emily and Lauren having a conversation and we'd wrap around the camera angles. We decided to do this because of how convenient it was, it meant we could do it at school and get it all done in a single blow. Plus after listening to some advice to make a script it was extremely easy!
Script:
Characters:
Emily- Lauren’s mother (Character 2)
Lauren- Daughter of Emily, adopted by someone else, Emily’s her real mother. (Character 1)
Emily: Hello
Lauren: Hey
Emily: [nervous] I got you a drink…
Lauren: Oh thanks, what did you want to talk to me about?
Emily: [nervous, faltering] Well, this isn’t easy for me…
Lauren: I don’t have long, I’m meeting mum in about 20minutes.
Emily: [exasperated] she’s not your mother! I am!
Analysis on Sequence
The sequence itself involved character 1 walking through a door into the main canteen with a match on action shot. Then we used a shot-reverse shot on the two characters looking at each other mid-way through the conversation. Finally we used the 180 degree rule throughout the entire conversation. Overall the sequence was fairly affective in how easy it was to setup and how quickly we were able to do it after a few test runs.
Technology
We used a varying amount of tools throughout this task, including a Video Camera, Tripod, Adobe Premier Elements and of course a tape. Once we had completed filming the task we transferred the video over via a Firewire Cable onto a school computers harddrive and successfully used Premier Elements to editted the video into a more suitable and enjoyable format.
Editing Software
We used the schools provided editing software Adobe Premier Elements and used it to make sure our sequence was clean and well cut without any unwanted parts. It enabled us to make the transitions between shots far more smooth with such things as Fading to Black as well as to add a title sequence to provide the examiners with the needed information to grade us. Plus it allowed us to add an outtake section for a bit of fun with some good quick switching between amusing shots.
Finally once all of the editing had been done we exported the movie in standard computer format (.avi) and uploaded the contents to youtube to allow the world to view it, as you can see from the beginning of this post.
Conclusion
Although we didn't cover everything within the brief I felt that we covered the important parts such as the shot types. Our sequence itself demonstrates the ability to use the 3 shots, however it does this only once for each, rather than having numerous shots of the 3 varying type. Also in future I feel we need to use the tripod for more of the shot, due to the shaking being quite obvious in some places which didn't show up on the small resolution of the camera but did during editing.
Throughout this task our camera skills barely improved however we came to grips with Adobe Premier Elements, and by doing this we will be able to implement these skills greatly into out Thriller production. Overall we completed the task and it has improved our skills as well as understanding of different shot types which we will be able to use in future.
[To be added : Storyboards]
180 degree rule
The 180 degree rule is quite simple. It is when two people are having the conversation and the line of sight has been set, you can't go across this imaginary line otherwise you can disorientate the viewer. The only time you can come across, or out of, the 180 degree rule is when you clearly show the camera moving sides.
The 180 degree rule is constantly upheld throughout our filming once the 2 characters have sat down. We decided against moving across the 180 degree line due to our script being so small, and losing dramatic affect.
Match on Action
This is when you switch between 2 perspectives of the character, for instance you may see the character open a door from camera one and then switch to camera 2 to see the character coming through the door, by using this the viewer is moving in the same direction as the character and allows the editor to show the shot from different perspectives
We used Match on Action during the first 10 seconds of our filming due to it being mainly convenient.
Reverse Shot
Shot/reverse shot (or shot/countershot) is a film technique used when two characters are looking at each other in one scene. The first character is shown looking at another character. Once the first person has looked towards the other character we can then show character 2 looking back in direction of the first character. The viewer then assumes that the characters are looking at each other.
We used this during the timeframe of 15seconds to 20seconds clearly showing character 1 looking at character 2.
Initial Ideas
Our initial ideas were quite simple, it involved having Emily and Lauren having a conversation and we'd wrap around the camera angles. We decided to do this because of how convenient it was, it meant we could do it at school and get it all done in a single blow. Plus after listening to some advice to make a script it was extremely easy!
Script:
Characters:
Emily- Lauren’s mother (Character 2)
Lauren- Daughter of Emily, adopted by someone else, Emily’s her real mother. (Character 1)
Emily: Hello
Lauren: Hey
Emily: [nervous] I got you a drink…
Lauren: Oh thanks, what did you want to talk to me about?
Emily: [nervous, faltering] Well, this isn’t easy for me…
Lauren: I don’t have long, I’m meeting mum in about 20minutes.
Emily: [exasperated] she’s not your mother! I am!
Analysis on Sequence
The sequence itself involved character 1 walking through a door into the main canteen with a match on action shot. Then we used a shot-reverse shot on the two characters looking at each other mid-way through the conversation. Finally we used the 180 degree rule throughout the entire conversation. Overall the sequence was fairly affective in how easy it was to setup and how quickly we were able to do it after a few test runs.
Technology
We used a varying amount of tools throughout this task, including a Video Camera, Tripod, Adobe Premier Elements and of course a tape. Once we had completed filming the task we transferred the video over via a Firewire Cable onto a school computers harddrive and successfully used Premier Elements to editted the video into a more suitable and enjoyable format.
Editing Software
We used the schools provided editing software Adobe Premier Elements and used it to make sure our sequence was clean and well cut without any unwanted parts. It enabled us to make the transitions between shots far more smooth with such things as Fading to Black as well as to add a title sequence to provide the examiners with the needed information to grade us. Plus it allowed us to add an outtake section for a bit of fun with some good quick switching between amusing shots.
Finally once all of the editing had been done we exported the movie in standard computer format (.avi) and uploaded the contents to youtube to allow the world to view it, as you can see from the beginning of this post.
Conclusion
Although we didn't cover everything within the brief I felt that we covered the important parts such as the shot types. Our sequence itself demonstrates the ability to use the 3 shots, however it does this only once for each, rather than having numerous shots of the 3 varying type. Also in future I feel we need to use the tripod for more of the shot, due to the shaking being quite obvious in some places which didn't show up on the small resolution of the camera but did during editing.
Throughout this task our camera skills barely improved however we came to grips with Adobe Premier Elements, and by doing this we will be able to implement these skills greatly into out Thriller production. Overall we completed the task and it has improved our skills as well as understanding of different shot types which we will be able to use in future.
[To be added : Storyboards]
Wednesday, 3 December 2008
General Audience Ressearch
This research has been done througout the term, the main idea of this research was to find out the main medium people use to see films, quite interestingly it wasn't what I expected.
I found it extremely surprsing that the majority of people still see films at the cinema rather than than over the internet or through DVDs due to the huge cost difference between them, but it obviously shows that people prefer hearing and seeing the movie in the highest quality possible, rather than sub-standard or simply TV quality. Maybe this will change when Blu-Ray becomes standard.
This is the reason I was surprised more people didn't see films on the internet, due to the majority of people hearing about films from it. Also quite interesting is the fact one of the 2nd highest, Word Of Mouth, is one of the most influential even in the heavy advert based word we live in today. A good review from a public person to a group of friends can greatly improve the seeability of the film.
Monday, 1 December 2008
Case Study: The Third Man
Thriller: The Third Man
Director: Carol Reed
Production Company: London Film Productions
Release Date: 3rd September 1949
Country where made: Vienna
Awards nominated: Won Oscar. Another 2 wins & 4 nominations
Audience response:
The Third Man is a movie that looks and feels not like a movie of the 40s, but like a neo-noir of the late 60s/early 70s. This wonderful example of classic noir is one of the all time greatest films. It combines amazing visuals, sounds, dialogue, and acting to tell a thrilling story and comment about the atmosphere after WWII.
I agree completely with the above comment, the way the Third Man was filmed was extremely impressive for its time, it's been one of the milestones ever since. If anything the only difference between filming from then and now is that it's now in HD! The same generic features are still used from then today in most films, we plan to use a few generic features from this film in our own thriller production, this is explained further down this post. The user has also mentioned how the film comments on WWII, I'd agree that it quite clearly links in due to being straight after the war as well as incorperating throughout the entire film many different shots of ruins throughout Vienna.
The mass-market Daily Mirror (2 September 1949) ran the headline: "Pardon Me if I Rave!" Its critic Reg Whitley enthused: "At last, here's a film we can really rave about!... Produced and directed Carol Reed, the film combines superb artistry with 100 per cent. entertainment value... a magnificent piece screencraft!"
The external review from The Daily Mirror obvious enjoyed the film, the artistry value points towards the amazing number if impressive shots from the Sewers, Back Lighting, Cat licking Harry Limes shoes and more! It all adds up to a great film.
My personal opinion of the film is that it's very impressive, after watching it you can clearly see where many generic features come from, and why many people still comment and review on The Third Man. One of the key strengths of the film however is how it uses a large variety of shots, one of which sticks out in my mind.
Below you find a short clip I took from Youtube, throughout this you will find plenty of amazing shots, the key ones at 0:32 and 1:01. The first shot is an extreme close up of Harry Lime when he's been spotted by his old friend Holly Martins spots him, this is a very generic feature with a figure standing in an overhanging doorway shadowed by darkness. The 2nd shot is a tilted shot of Harry Limes shadow running off into the distance.
The way Carol Reed uses very bright lighting to throw the shadow across the wall to build up tension has had an impact on many films, throughout modern horrors you seen shadows on walls creeping up on you and more. However the way it's done is very simple considering the affect it has, it is for this reason that we've decided to use similar lighting via car lights for out Thriller Production.
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