Preliminary Task

Shot duration/pace

The duration of a hot will usually reflect the narrative context
Generally speaking, short shot duration conveys action and urgency (say in a shot sequence)

Whilst long duration conveys intensity and intimacy within the narrative, it allows us to focus upon facial expression and other aspects of mise en scene which would otherwise be missed.

Some extra editing devices:

• Parallel editing - cross cutting between different locations can convey the impression that two or more events are occuring simutaneously
• Split-screen - where the frame is split into sections so that we can see different events occuring at the same time.

Editing controls what we see and when, when analysing a clip you also need to consider how editing techniques are used to control what information is revealed to/hidden from:
a) the audience
b) the characters

Transitions

The process of cutting from one shot to another usually involves a simple straight cut. However there are other means of transitions available to a film editor:

• Fade to black
• Dissolve/cross fade
• Wipe

etc...

A pattern of fade out followed by fade in suggests a conclusion to the previous scene and the beginning of a new one, or could seperate a flashback sequence.

Dissolve or cross fade - the preceding shot merges into the following shot, resulting in the two shots being superimposed. The longer the dissolve the more noticeable the superimposition becomes.

Continuity and Non-Continuity

Continuity  Editing

Cutting shots to tella  story with narrative continuity, helping the viewer make sense of the action by implying spacial relationships and ensuring smooth flow from shot to shot.

Continuity Techniques

• Establishing shot (establishes the space in which action is to happen)
• The 180 degree rule (ensures that the same space is described in each shot)
• Shot/reverse shot
• Eyeline match (e.g. character looks off-screen, next shot shows us what they see)
• Match on action (character begins to move in one shot, we see continuation of the same moverment in the next shot)
• Realism (edit is invisible so action appears real, rather than constructed)

Non-Continuity

• Montage - giving information in compressed form
• Non-Continuity editing - continuity is broken and construction is more apparent. Meaning often created through juxtaposition and metaphor shot inserts
• Effect - being created to connote. Stretches reality usually to signify or give a metaphor for something

Editing a clip

What are we looking for when editing a clip?

• making sure its accurate and fluent
• Making sure it looks real so the audience believe it
• Make sure shots link together - sequence
• Transition
• Making sure everything fits together (sounds, shots etc.)

What are we looking for when analysing editing in a clip?

• Order of shots
• Juxtaposition
• Continuously
• Transitions
• Shot duration
• Pace and rhythm
• Special effects

Camera Shots

In today's lesson I learnt four new types of shots:

180 degree rule: The 180 degree rule ensures directional consistency from shot to shot, it may be used in conversation.

Rule of thirds (9 imaginary squares on the screen): the viewfinder screen is divided into thirds horizontally and vertically, when framing a shot, the camera person should consider these imaginary lines when placing characters in the right place.

Depth of field: The amount of distance between the nearest and furthest objects that appear.

Focus pull: Useful for directing the viewers attention. There are two people in the shot but only one character is in focus.

Making a Video

In class we watched a video made by some Australian production team. The video gave us some useful tips and advice on how to control our filming and production schedule.

It started off by telling us the different roles that are involved when producing a film:

- Executive producer: This person will create the filming schedule/timeline, control the budget and decide who fills what rolls.

- Writer: This person will take all the idea that were discussed and write a script for the production

- Director: This person is in charge of all the movement

- Production manager: This person keeps track of the production and makes sure everything is on track to stay in budget/in the deadline

- Storyboard Artist: This person draws and plans the shots in a cartoon strip style

- Camera operator: This person controls the camera and uses the storyboard as the outline and guide of what to film (this can sometime be the same person as the lighting director)

- Lighting Director: This person is in charge of the lighting on set when they start the filming process

- Sound Technician: This person will add sound to the production at the editing stage and may try and record different sounds on set to add at a later stage

- Talent: The talent will be the actors; these will either be auditioned or asked to partake by the executive producer

- Editor: This person will make sure the continuity etc is correct and produce the finished product.

 

They then gave us an outline of the three stages of creating a production.

 

Pre-Production

Scripting

Scene breakdown

Storyboard

Shot list

Casting

Location

Equipment

Catering

Hire of venue

Letting others (around the area) know you're filming

 

Shot list and shooting schedule:

Where

Time needed

Different camera angles

When

How long

 

Plan Ahead, Be Prepared!!

 

Production - The doing stage

Shooting the project

Time management (crucial)

Quality control (image, sound, performance)

Potential conflict between producers (limitations and directors creativity)

 

Post-Production -The finishing stage

Editing

-Rough-cute/off-line and final/on-line

Sound technician balances sounds

All elements combined during editing

Sound mix

British Film Insitute - 13th November

On the 13th November my media studies class went on a school trip to the British Film Institution (BFI) for a workshop on making film openings. It was a massive help for our AS media coursework as creating an opening sequence and titles will be our task. The day consisted of talks from Pete Fraser and Q&A sessions with Simon Frame and Joe Cornish.

Pete Fraser started the day talking about the investigation and research part of our coursework. He told us about 5 key features we should consider when planning:
- Genre
- Narrative (enigma)
- Character
- Atmosphere
- Setting

He then gave us some tips/steps to use when we start looking into making the film opening.
1. Start general, don't limit yourself to one genre or style of film
2. Then home in on one specific genre and look at other relevant film openings too.
3. Make sure the research you do is focused on your chosen genre and relevant

We watched a few opening sequences to films ('Catch me if you can', 'Dawn of the Dead', and 'Napoleon Dynamite'). Pete Fraser asked us to watch the openings and makes quick notes on the 5 key features. We then discussed it with the people around us and a few students shared their ideas with the rest of us.
Here are my notes on 'Dawn of the Dead':

Genre: Zombie Horror
Narrative:
Character: only an introductory, no central character introduced yet. More about what it is and who it affects. Shows people who are clearly from a different cultural backgrounds to show what's happening is on a global scale.
Atmosphere: quick cut editing so that we can't see exactly what is going on, it doesn't tell the whole story in the opening. Shows news report in the opening, nothing good ever gets on the news, shows something bad has happened. The song used in the opening was 'Rapture' by Johnny Cash, the song juxt opposes the opening as it sounds like a happy song but the clearly isn't going to be a joyful one. The lyrics are about the religious end of the world, this foreshadows the film.
Setting: There was different global settings in the opening, this shows it is a film about the whole world however, it showed the white house many times suggesting it is mainly focussed in America.

Although the Q&A sessions were VERY interesting they weren't completely relevant to us because they were more about the filming as a whole and they were on a much larger scale (bigger budget, more actors, more equipment etc.)

The last session was again run by Pete Fraser. This session was purely about our opening sequences and was very valuable to us. We watched previous work submitted by candidates and Pete gave us a quick analysis on them and told us what level they were and why. He also gave us some helpful tips about our titles:
- The directors name should always go last
- We shouldn't use the word 'starring'
- Don't include our candidate number next to our names
- Try not to show all our title at the same time, spread them throughout the opening

He also told us about the 6 most common openings and 6 common problem often sound with openings.

1. Saw (a victim tied up in a shed)
2. Scream (a hooded stalker)
3. Se7en
4. Lock, Stock (gangsters)
5. Waking up
6. Flashbacks or Flash forwards

- Making the opening too much like a trailer or short film
- Not including enough titles
- poor sound or lighting
- poorly directed actors
- Making the storyline too complicated or confusing
- Doing one of the most common openings badly

Finally, Pete gave us details about our opening sequences and the marking, He told us about 9 main steps we need to think about when filming our opening sequences.

Task: To film the opening, with titles, of a new, fiction film.
The sequence should be up to two minutes long. 20 marks will be awarded for research and planning, 60 marks for the construction and 20 marks for the evaluation.

Step 1: Take Stock Build up your skills

• Build up your research
• Build up your planning
• Allow time to shoot and edit
• Keep evidence throughout the task

Step 2: Set up a blog

• Post anything you do on your blog

Step 3: Build up skills

• Learn from your preliminary task
• Use a range of camera angles and skills

Step 4: Investigate

• What do film openings look like
• Look at a range of genres
• Look at other students work

Step 5: Brainstorm Ideas

• Pitches
• Mood board treatments
• Feedback
• Be realistic

Step 6: Planning

• The more planning, the less problems
• Experiment
• Examples of props, costumes, shots etc.
• Storyboard (use post it notes)
• Logistics

Step 7: The shoot

• People, places, props, costume
• Rehearsing, directing
• Equipment and jobs on the day
• Keeping a record of the process

Step 8: Editing

• Everyone have a go
• Screen grabs
• Audio and titles
• Foley (the art of putting sound in sync with movement)
• Rough cut deadline and peer feedback

·  The big picture before the final details

Mise-en-scene

Mise-en-scene is everything in the shot and scene. It is used to create a feeling of "realism" about the plot to the audience, this therefore makes it believeable for the audience. It makes the characters seem real, helps the audience to understand who is who in the scene and it creates representations of different groups.

Mise-en-scene is made up of six different elements: CLAMPS

C - Costume
L - Lighting
A - Actors
M - Movement
P - Props
S - Setting

Mise-en-scene links to realism, there are several steps to what makes up realism, the first level of realism means selecting the right actors, props, objects, locations, voices of the actors and diagetic sounds (noises on set).

The second level of realism means how the drama is filmed. This will be done by the use of lighting, camera shots, non-diagetic sound and editing.

Finally, the third level of realism is the finished "product" on television this is when the actual TV Drama is viewed by the audience and then the opinions of the Drama, for example is believeable.

Denotation - The first and simple of an image.
Connotation - a meaning attributal to an image beyond the obvious denotational level.

Different genres of TV Dramas:

• Romance
• Soap Opera
• Murder Mystery
• Tragedy
• Science Fiction
• Action
• Comedy
• Period Drama

Media Representation

Media means being in the middle or beneath things people and places you see on television or in film are representations of a real person or event if it is a documentary or imagined in a particular way if it is fictional like a feature film or TV Drama.

Representation

• Age
• Disability
• Ethnicity
• Gender
• Regional Identity
• Sexuality
• Social Class

The Orphanage: Regression Scene

Last lesson we watched the regression scene of The Orphanage, where we analysed the soundtrack, sound effects and the dialogue, looking at what kind of effect it creates and why they do it. Here is a link to the regression scene of the orphanage which you can watch, but come back to my blog to read my views on the scene.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CL3nIK2i4oo

When watching the scene I noticed that the scene starts with the sound of electronics, for example the microphone clicking on and off which is a non-diagetic sound to make it sound more realistic. It also has a dialogue which helps set the scene and help the audience to understand what is happening. I noticed that the main characters voice had been edited to make it sound deeper which gave him more presence. The contrast between the main character and woman, whos voice is given the effect of talking through a microphone, makes the woman seem more distant and vulnerable compared to the other characters.

I realised that when the characters began to count down the note and the sound of the light flickering gets louder and louder. Which adds tension and increases the sense of danger. When the countdown finishes there is an exaggerated sound of violins to build up suspense and as soon as the woman opens her eyes the music stops and there is a second of silence, making it more dramatic.

They also record the woman's footsteps and breathing and emphasise it by making them louder, which adds tension and draws the audience in.

The sound effects of this scene are very clear in the sense that they make the audience tense and begin to imagine sights in which they arent actually there, which makes it a lot more scary. The soundtrack is alos overlapped over the sound effects with an outcome of a heavy layer of sounds which creates a dramatic effect.

The Orphanage: Opening Scene

The Orphanage

Director: Juan Antonio Bayona
Writer: Sergio G. Sánchez

In today's lesson we watched theThe Orphanage, which is a 2007 spanish horror film. We watched the opening scene of The Orphanage and analysed the characters, their relationships, genre and location, which we used to try and figure out what the film was about. 

My Analysis on the Opening Scene:

Characters: Laura

• A young girl
  
• Alone
  
• Singled out
  
• Innocent
  
• Wearing old clothing (1940's)

Characters: Old Lady

• Hiding emotions
  
• In charge of orphanage
  
• Don't see her face
  
• Mysterious

Relationships between Characters

• All interact with eachother e.g. playing
  
• All socially friendly towards one another
  
• Old Lady seems to care for Laura

Genre

• Psychological horror film

Location/Setting

• Old historical Orphanage
  
• Spanish countryside, middle of no-where
  
• Garden was surrounded by trees, giving the impression it was closed off to the outside world
  
• A scarecrow, didn't look like the average scarecrow
  
• Tell by the costumes and props that the film is set in the past (1940's)  

The Orphanage - soundtrack and sound effects

In my media lesson I watched a scene of the orphanage, which is a 2007 spanish horror film made by J.A. Bayona, and focused on the soundtrack and the sound effects and looked at what kind of effects it creates and why they use them.

When watching this scene I realised that they edited the main characters voice to mak it deeper, to give him more presence and make him sound more powerful, and the contrast between this man and the woman who's voice is given the effect of talking through a microphone makes the woman seem more distant and vulnerable than the other character, they also give the scene more realism by adding a non-diagetic sound of the woman's microphone clicking on and off. They also record the woman's footsteps and her breathing and emphasise them by making them louder to add tension and draw the audience in. The sound effects of this make the audience tense and begin to imagine sights in which aren't actually there which makes it a lot more dramatic. The soundtrack is also overlapped over sound effects so the outcome is a heavy layer of sound which creates a rich dramatic effect.     

What is Media?

On my second lesson of Media Studies I learnt the keyword 'media' and it's meaning, which is: 'the media' refers to the different channels we use to communicate information in the every day world. I also leant the different types of media, such as television, film, magazines, radio, the Internet - social networking, advertisement etc. We then got together as a class and discussed the reasons why we wath TV and came up with reasons such as, distraction, entertainment, to follow specific events, socialisation and to be informed on the news. Looking further into this we discussed the differen ways that media feeds us information and how it has improved over the years. It first started with 'the hyperaemic needle' which is the idea the media fed people information and people would believe it because they were a passie audience, everyone was fed the same information no matter how different they were, the information is unmediated. The media then improved to the idea of the 'two-step flow' after realising that the hyperaemic needle didnt work because people filter information according to their social surroundings meaning it happens in two steps (which gives it the name two-step flow). Stuart Hall then came up with the Reception Theory which basically meant they could produce media for certain age, gender, class an ethnicity. Which is known as preferred reading, giving the audience what they want.

First post!

Welcome to my blog, I am currently studying Media Studies at AS level. I chose to study media because I am very interested in the media, and it will be very relevant and helpful in my future career. I also enjoy filming and editing videos, I made a big contribution in helping to produce the end of year video in my previous school and im hoping that media will be able to help me to progress and develop my filming and editing skills. I will be using this blog to upload links, videos, pictures and more to contribute to my coursework. On my first lesson in Media Studies Mr. Buckmaster gave me lots of useful links such as www.marlboroughmediastudies.blogspot.com - which is Mr Buckmaster's blog, www.petesmediablog.blogspot.com - which is the chief examiners blog which he updates with useful information frequently and www.artofthetitle.com which shows the opening scenes of films which will be useful in future projects in media.