INSPIRATION
Preliminary task analysis
This week, using Adobe Premiere Pro, we edited the footage of
our preliminary task to make it into a sequence. We wanted this scene to convey tension and
suspense, to leave the viewer wanting to find out more about the characters.
This tension is shown through the facial expressions of the characters. Honor
looked quite concerned and scared, whilst Sofia looked serious and angry.
Through this, it is clear that Sofia has the most status in the scene.
We also used props and setting to create
tension. Sofia held scissors in her hand which added tension and conveys the iconography of a crime thriller, however we decided not to use them as we were not
unscripted; this means in some shots the scissors were not there which resulted
in continuity errors. The costumes that they wore suggested to the audience that this sequence is set in the modern day.
We began with a wide
shot. This was effective as it simply established the scene and introduced
the audience to the set and the characters. The wide shot allowed the
audience to first see Sofia’s determined and angry persona through the
aggressive way she opened the door. The diegetic
sound for the door creaking was effective as it created a tense and ‘dodgy’
atmosphere.
For the rest
of the sequence, we edited a combination of Close Ups and Extreme Close
Ups. We did this as close ups
create suspense and help the audience connect to the characters. Through these
shots, we can clearly see the character’s emotions and focus on them more; this
is important when presenting a tense scene, as we want the audience to feel the
same level of tension as the characters onscreen. I believe this was
successful, particularly with the extreme
close ups, as we can really connect to the characters and want to find out
more about them and the story.
We tried to
make Honor look scared and hopeless through her facial expressions and voice.
This mise-en-scene is important
when filmmaking as it non-directly tells the audience the story and the
characters thoughts towards it. We also made the shots slow paced; we wanted the audience to focus on what’s happening in
the scene. We believe this was successful in focusing on the scene, as it
helped to connect the audience to the characters and feel their tension.
We used over the
shoulder shots of Honor and Sofia. This was effective as it includes the
audience into the scene as well as maintaining the sense of continuity, as both
characters are involved in the scene. We shot these angles within the 180-degree rule so the placement of the
characters in the scene does not disorientate the audience.
We then reverted back to a close up of Sofia, before transitioning into an extreme close up when Sofia says, “I
can’t wait for you” the cut from a close
up to extreme close up
emphasises the escalation of tension that’s building in this scene. The
audience know, through the cut between
close ups, that Sofia’s character is very serious and threatening behind
her words.
We then cut
to an extreme close up of Honor.
This graphic match of the eyes was
very effective, as it emphasises the threatening relationship between the pair;
and is the climax of the tension. This is a typical convention we may see in a Western genre, which is used in order to climax the tension between the
characters. The extreme close up
were successful in making the audience on edge, as it’s very personal to the
character. The audience feel quite uncomfortable, as they are so up close to
the faces. This was also supported by the slow
pace footage, which forced the audience to watch and focus, despite whether
they wanted to watch or not.
There is also a lack
of diegetic sound in Honor’s extreme
close up, this creates suspense as the audience is not sure of what will
happen next.
We then cut to a moving mid
shot of Sofia walking to the door. The lack
of sound continues so the audience is still on edge waiting for the next
thing to happen, this effectively drags the suspense. Sofia speaks the final
line “I won’t wait for you” her facial
expressions connoted to the
audience that she is very impatient in this situation, and clearly doesn’t
care for Honor. The audience want to find out what Sofia wants Honor to do and
why she can’t do it. It is clear through the mise-en-scene that Sofia will continue with her task without
Honor’s aid.
It then cuts
to another extreme close up of the
door handle opening and closing as Sofia walks through. This final shot was
very effective as its slow paced, which
forces the audience to watch and hear the door creaking shut until the very
end. This diegetic sound is repeated
from the start of the sequence, bringing back that discomfort we felt when we
first heard the door squeak. The audience continues to feel on edge and wants
to find out what happened next; its as if this final shot ended on a cliff-hanger.
However there is a black frame between the mid shot and extreme close up. This is where we did not place the final shot correctly
in premiere pro. This removes the verisimilitude
of the sequence, as the clean cut
editing is no longer realistic and smooth. Next time I will make sure that
every cut is smooth and shots are placed immediately after each other.
In addition to that, audio was fairly jumpy and in some parts
very quiet. Particularly in the first close
up of Honor where she says, “I can’t”, we had to duplicate the audio while
editing so that Honor can be heard.
We also
realised that while filming, the actors didn’t take long enough pauses between
lines. Because of this, we found it very hard to edit and cut audio, so for
many of the scenes we can hear a glimpse of the end of the previous line. Next time, I will make sure that if dialogue
is used, the actors will make long enough pauses to make it easier to cut and
edit shots together.
There was also static background noise, which takes away the
tense mood of the film, especially in shots where there is no diegetic sound. I will learn how to
reduce background static noise and perhaps add some non-diegetic sound such as tense instrumental music to really
support the conventions of a
suspenseful thriller.
- In this clip, we hear lots of diegetic and pleonastic sounds used. For example, at the beginning we hear lots of distant background noises such as spooked horses and distant screaming, along with the natural sounds we’d typically hear such as heavy rain and footsteps.
- These natural sounds add realism to the scene and therefore immerse us into the story more; whilst the distant screams heard in the background are a typical convention of a horror, so the audience feel on edge about these sounds. Furthermore, the protagonists heavy breathing is a pleonastic sound that has a massive impact on the audience: as we see his fear for what will happen next, we connect with that character and therefore feel the same way as him. In simple terms, his heavy breathing makes the audience breath heavily and feels the same fear as him.
- I noticed that there is very little non-diegetic sound used. The majority of the clip is diegetic that adds familiarity and realism, which is what spooks the audience – as we realise that we hear these sounds all the time and therefore this could happen to anyone. However the non-diegetic sound such is also very effective. Non-diegetic sound used in this clip is the quiet instrumental string music. This is mainly one long note, which creates tension - as it makes the audience feel uncomfortable.
- In addition to this, I noticed another clip used a lack of sound, which is also extremely effective in horrors/thriller films. In this clip, there is very quiet non-diegetic sound, which fades into complete silence. This makes the audience feel very uncomfortable and on edge as it’s unnatural to have complete silence in the world. (In a way, the audience actually find the tense instrumental music comforting compared to complete silence – as complete silence is used before a major jump-scare)
- The lack of sound also creates an anti-climax: as the audience have been expecting a scary climax through the tense soundtrack, the silence allows them to relax a bit, right before the sudden non-diegetic boom which is the predominate jump-scare. However this technique has been used so often in thrillers/horrors that it has become a genre convention. This means the audience know that there will be a jump-scare coming and so will react to it less effectively.
- In contrast to the woman in black, this Ghost clip shows the same theme of the supernatural in a different way. The non-diegetic soundtrack consists of drumming beats to make the scene fast pace. This creates a more anxious tension for the audience, rather than a fearful tension - We are worried for the protagonist as he fights off the mugger.
- The director may have chosen to use a drumming beat for the fast pace scene, to affect the audience’s heart rate. As this drumming beats are fast and common to match the pace and tension of the scene; it makes the audience feel on edge and exhilarated as their heart rates are fast.
- Moreover, there are also lots of pleonastic sounds used such as the slamming against the garage door and grunting while fighting. These have been emphasised to make the scene realistic so the audience can really hear the struggle of the fight. In particular, pleonastic sounds such as the clocking of the gun, the slap and the gunshot are dramatically emphasised, as they are key moments in the scene. They almost act as a jump-scare as the audience are frightened and shocked at these sounds.
- There are also distant background pleonastic sounds such as dogs barking and water dripping into sewers. This is effective as it creates a more realistic setting and establishes the scene, through this realism the audience will be immersed in the story more.
- Zucker also uses lack of sound as a device in this scene. This is used immediately after the gunshot; the only sounds we can hear are running footsteps. As the audience clearly sees that Sam is running and the tense non-diegetic music has suddenly stopped, we believe that the gunshot is nothing and so we relax slightly.
- This is used before the real climax: in which we find out that Sam’s body is actually covered in his blood in Molly’s arms. Zucker intended this silence to be an anti-climax; similar to Watkin’s use of the device – to shock the audience even further as they just became more vulnerable by relaxing from the tense moment.
To conclude – despite both films are categorised under the
same sub-genre (Paranormal thriller), they portray their story’s and elements
in different ways using different conventions of sound. Both films use
pleonastic background sounds such as dog’s barking and horses neighing to set
the scene and add realism, which both spook the audience as we realise these
scenarios could happen anywhere. Both films also use lack of sound as an
anti-climax so the audience don’t prepare for the predominate climax. However
in the Woman in Black we feel scared towards the ghost through the slow/tense
music, and the diegetic sounds such as the creepy footsteps, which make the
audience uncomfortable. However in Ghost we feel scared for the ghost (to come). Through the fast paced soundtrack and
pleonastic sounds such as the gunshot and the slap excites and shocks the
audience more than makes them uncomfortable.
In this weeks studio lesson, as part of coursework we created a short film sequence in a group of four.
The preliminary task required us to film a replication of a short sequence on a story board. Which told us the shots we needed to shoot and the lines we were to say. We had 2 actors, 1 camera operator and 1 director. Honor and Sofia were actors, I was the camera operator and Jemma was the director.
We filmed in the editing studio by the doorway, as it was shown in the storyboard.
We used the Sony FS100, we began by holding up a piece of paper with our names on it and zoomed in and manually focused, this is important to have the best quality footage and helps us to get into the habit of focusing before recording. We then recorded the paper for 10 seconds so we can give a lot of time for the viewer to read.
We then began the process of recording the sequence and started with a wide shot. We did this by having the camera on a tripod, and adjusting it to mid height. The frame persisted of the door and the wall, so that we could get footage of Sofia coming through the door and Honor still in frame.
We took at least two takes of that shot, because on the first shot, Honor moved out of the frame. It was essential to shoot this wide shot as not only does it establish the scene, but it also is a shot to fall back on if other shots fail or we run out of time.
We learnt that it is vital to record the whole scene from each angle so that we have a good amount of footage to explore and play with while editing, as well as helping with continuity and structure.
The preliminary task required us to film a replication of a short sequence on a story board. Which told us the shots we needed to shoot and the lines we were to say. We had 2 actors, 1 camera operator and 1 director. Honor and Sofia were actors, I was the camera operator and Jemma was the director.
We filmed in the editing studio by the doorway, as it was shown in the storyboard.
We used the Sony FS100, we began by holding up a piece of paper with our names on it and zoomed in and manually focused, this is important to have the best quality footage and helps us to get into the habit of focusing before recording. We then recorded the paper for 10 seconds so we can give a lot of time for the viewer to read.
We then began the process of recording the sequence and started with a wide shot. We did this by having the camera on a tripod, and adjusting it to mid height. The frame persisted of the door and the wall, so that we could get footage of Sofia coming through the door and Honor still in frame.
We took at least two takes of that shot, because on the first shot, Honor moved out of the frame. It was essential to shoot this wide shot as not only does it establish the scene, but it also is a shot to fall back on if other shots fail or we run out of time.
We learnt that it is vital to record the whole scene from each angle so that we have a good amount of footage to explore and play with while editing, as well as helping with continuity and structure.
- We communicated well through the use of terminology such as "Standby" and "Standing by", which is what the director shouted out to maintain order whilst filming. This was really beneficial for future projects because it keeps everyone updated on what's happening and that we don't miss anything out.
- We made sure that everything was in check, such as getting all the footage we need; before moving the camera. This is essential because if we needed to re-shoot the wide shot but wait for later, we would not be able to put the replace camera in the spot; and therefore while editing the wide shot will be different.
- Once filming our wide shot, we moved and readjusted the tripod to an over the shoulder shot. We physically moved the tripod to the actors and made sure they were in their talking position. We repeated the process of zooming into Sofia's face and manually focused before zooming out again. We used rule of thirds for this scene to fill the frame and so the viewer can see all of sofia. We similarly shot the whole scene from this angle.
- Once completed, as the camera was already in position, we simply zoomed in to shoot a close up of Sofia. For this shot, we marked the spot that Sofia must stand in for her talking position, by placing an object on that spot. If we were to do this again and had more time, we would mark the spot with an X using tape, so the actor can physically stand exactly on the spot and it's more visible in their viewpoint.
- One issue we had was that Sofia's head kept going out of the frame, I had to subtly pan the camera in order to keep her in the frame. At some points I felt I was a bit shaky and jolty with the camera, so for next time I would make sure to transition the pans more smoothly.
- We then repeated the same shot over the shoulder of Honor, and then shot a close up of Honor. We didn't need to mark the spot as Honor's position is the same place throughout the scene.
- Once we had finished the brief, we decided to add some extra shots. We shot extreme close ups of Honor and Sofia's eyes. I zoomed into their faces and panned slightly so they will stay in the frame. This shot creates tension and connects the audience to the characters.
- We also shot a close up of the door handle opening and closing, we adjusted the camera to a lower angle to achieve this. As well as a close up of Sofia as she walks through the door and speaks her final line "I won't wait for you" From this we have learnt to explore with different angles, in order to create the best cinematography and footage options whilst editing.
- We also attempted a high/low angle shot. We wanted to capture a low angle of Sofia and a high angle of Honor. This was to show how important and dominant Sofia is and how irrelevant and submissive Honor is. However this did not work well as in the other shots they are looking at each other on the same level; in order for the high/low angle to work Honor must look up in the high angle shot, and Sofia must look down in the low angle shot, in which they could not do or it would look peculiar when editing.
- Furthermore, if we had time we would reattempt this high/low angle shot and make the actors maintain eye contact. Perhaps the effect of high/low angle may work even when the actors are not looking up/down but towards each other still.
In this lesson, we learnt the basic techniques to editing sequences.
We started with learning the basic functions of Adobe Premiere Pro. We began with opening our clips that we filmed. They are stored in files that in media we call bins.
We learnt in the previous studio lesson, that you should also record before the start of your desired scene. This leaves opportunity and room to cut so you can start the scene when you want.
To trim the scene, we pressed CTRL+I/CMD+I, for IN; and CTRL+O/CMD+O for OUT. We select the section that we desire and drag it to the video timeline.
We then save (CTRL+S/CMD+S) so our work does not get deleted if the programme or computer crashes.
We then repeated the same thing with another clip and dragged it to the timeline, however we drag it ON TOP of the previous clip. Whatever is on top will play instead of what's underneath it.
The left screen is for the RAW unedited clip. The right screen is for the edited sequence on the timeline. To make the sequence look good, you must match up a similar scene between the previous clip and the clip you want to add.
For example, if you were to film a girl putting a hand on a bannister, and wanted to jump from a wide shot to a close up; you would need to match up the moment the girl puts her hand on the bannister so there is a clean cut.
One problem we had is that we wanted to add a head shot half way through the mid-close up. However, after the head shot there was very little time between the close up and extreme close up. This looked odd as this segment of the clip was like a flash.
This studio lesson was necessary as we will be using adobe premiere pro in our preliminary tasks and editing is one of the most fundamental features in media studies.
Thriller is a genre that uses excitement, suspense and tension as its key elements.
Aviation: A thriller that is set on an air flight, or any action against forces such as storms or gravity. This sub-genre is particularly thrilling, because it takes a very common fear (airplanes) and adds more suspense and excitement to them. The audience also feel that sense of entrapment as all of the action is taking place where they can't escape. Storms or Gravity can be included in a thriller as it's inevitable and they are two things that humans cannot control at all.
For example, Last Flight.
Conspiracy: The protagonist must confront a large powerful organization who he sees as a threat.
Comedic: A parody version of a thriller, this includes all the iconography of a thriller, but with a comedic twist. Unlike other thrillers, comedic thrillers are harder to predict what will happen next. For example, Austin Powers and Airplane (an aviation comedic thriller)
Crime: Focuses from crime, usually from the criminals POV. Includes physical action and police investigations.
Eco thriller:
The protagonist faces a threat to the environment, (man-made or natural) which will have consequences for society if left unchecked.
Forensic thriller: The protagonist are forensic scientists who's involvement in an unsolved case threatens their lives.
Legal: The protagonist is a lawyer in a courtroom, whose case they have taken threatens their clients or their own life.
Medical: involves something usually used for medical purposes, that has been turned into a deadly weapon. Often it is a virus that is leaking out to the public. The protagonist or antagonist or both, are doctors.
Mystery thrillers: Both mystery and thriller. Mystery but fast paced.
Political Thriller: The protagonist is employed by the government to stop the decline of the governmental systems. Usually the protagonist has a low status prior the employment
Paranormal/Supernatural: Thrillers that bring in an 'out of this world' element. Often the villain/protagonist has some sort of supernatural ability.
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Psychological Thriller: In this subgenre a lot of the conflict is mental rather than physical. The protagonist has become involved in a dangerous situation which literally threatens their sanity. They must use mental prowess to overcome their opponent, whether the battle is inside their own head or it a battle of wits.
Religious: Includes history/myths of religion. Usually a religious artifact or historical secret is discovered, and different people and groups vie for control.
Romantic: Thriller/Romance crossover, the plot contains the typical thriller expectations: suspense, excitement, fear. However the plot focuses on the relationship(s) between a couple.
Survivalist: Disaster has struck upon some/all people. And toughness and skill are key to survival.
Spy: Thrillers with a highly adventurous field agent setting. Usually in a government conspiracy, war, or corrupt organisation.
Aviation: A thriller that is set on an air flight, or any action against forces such as storms or gravity. This sub-genre is particularly thrilling, because it takes a very common fear (airplanes) and adds more suspense and excitement to them. The audience also feel that sense of entrapment as all of the action is taking place where they can't escape. Storms or Gravity can be included in a thriller as it's inevitable and they are two things that humans cannot control at all.
For example, Last Flight.
Conspiracy: The protagonist must confront a large powerful organization who he sees as a threat.
Comedic: A parody version of a thriller, this includes all the iconography of a thriller, but with a comedic twist. Unlike other thrillers, comedic thrillers are harder to predict what will happen next. For example, Austin Powers and Airplane (an aviation comedic thriller)
Crime: Focuses from crime, usually from the criminals POV. Includes physical action and police investigations.
Disaster: Focus on a natural disaster. In which the protagonist tries to stop the disaster or avoid maximum damage.
Eco thriller:
The protagonist faces a threat to the environment, (man-made or natural) which will have consequences for society if left unchecked.
Forensic thriller: The protagonist are forensic scientists who's involvement in an unsolved case threatens their lives.
Legal: The protagonist is a lawyer in a courtroom, whose case they have taken threatens their clients or their own life.
Medical: involves something usually used for medical purposes, that has been turned into a deadly weapon. Often it is a virus that is leaking out to the public. The protagonist or antagonist or both, are doctors.
Mystery thrillers: Both mystery and thriller. Mystery but fast paced.
Political Thriller: The protagonist is employed by the government to stop the decline of the governmental systems. Usually the protagonist has a low status prior the employment
Paranormal/Supernatural: Thrillers that bring in an 'out of this world' element. Often the villain/protagonist has some sort of supernatural ability.
Psychological Thriller: In this subgenre a lot of the conflict is mental rather than physical. The protagonist has become involved in a dangerous situation which literally threatens their sanity. They must use mental prowess to overcome their opponent, whether the battle is inside their own head or it a battle of wits.
Religious: Includes history/myths of religion. Usually a religious artifact or historical secret is discovered, and different people and groups vie for control.
Romantic: Thriller/Romance crossover, the plot contains the typical thriller expectations: suspense, excitement, fear. However the plot focuses on the relationship(s) between a couple.
Spy: Thrillers with a highly adventurous field agent setting. Usually in a government conspiracy, war, or corrupt organisation.
Techno-thrillers: (Technology thrillers) Crossover of near future science fiction and thriller. Advanced technology is a key element in this sub-genre, in which the protagonist desires to obtain/possesses/wants to eradicate.
CROESO
Ella's Hurtwood House Media Blog
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