Prelim Task 2

The second part of the Prelim task was the most challenging because we had to edit together everything that we had filmed previously. We used all the editing skills that we had previously learnt to put together everything we had done.

We began by editing the long shots that we had filmed. It was really helpful that we had filmed the scene from a number of different angles as it made the editing much easier and it enabled us to make cuts at exactly the right point because we had enough footage to do so. We then went on to follow the storyboard and edit the footage so that it looked like it hadn’t been edited at all.

The part of the task that I found the most challenging was making sure that the sound didn’t overlap when the scene was edited together. This is because it was the first time that we had properly worked with anything that included dialogue, so it took a while for me to understand how to mute the audio on the clips that we didn’t want to be playing.

I really enjoyed the editing process and bringing together everything that we had filmed, however there were some problems and if I got the chance to do the task again I would change some things.

Firstly, I would’ve changed the shots that we filmed. In addition to filming all of the shots that the storyboard required, we filmed some extra shots to add some interest to the scene. When we looked back at the shots that we filmed, we found that there was nowhere to edit them in because they didn’t fit in with the other shots that we had done. This was a shame because I would’ve liked some extra shots to add more interest to the scene and make it stand out. To improve the task, I would’ve thought more carefully about the extra shots that we filmed to ensure that they would work alongside the shots that we had to do.  

Secondly, when watching back the shots, we realised that the continuity was not always consistent. For example, the hand that the male actor used to open the door changes, and so when we came to edit it, the hand changed from right to left. If we had paid more attention to the smaller details, the finished task would look a lot more professional. To solve this, I think it would be a good idea for the actors/directors to say out loud the hand used or the way that they turned so that everyone is aware and then it would be less likely that mistakes would happen and compromise the whole scene.

Sound Analysis of a Thriller

Psycho (1960) is a thriller directed by Alfred Hitchcock. It tells the story of an office worker (Marion) who is fed up with her life. She meets her lover Sam in her lunchbreaks and they can’t get married as he has to give most of his money to his ex-wife. Marion is given $40,000 to bank by her employer. She decides to take the money and start a new life and goes to find Sam. After driving for a while and becoming tired, she pulls stops off for the night at The Bates Motel.

The shower scene begins with the woman closing the door of the bathroom before she gets in the shower, a diegetic sound of the door closing accompanies this action so that the audience believe that this is actually happening and so it makes the scene more realistic. This is important for the audience as we need to believe that the woman is actually in a bathroom otherwise the plot becomes less scary and less believable.

The scene begins with the woman closing the door of the bathroom before she gets in the shower, a diegetic sound of the door closing accompanies this action so that the audience believe that this is actually happening-it makes the scene more realistic. 

 The next thing we hear is the diegetic sound of the woman closing the shower curtain. As there is no other sound, we as an audience are completely focused on the diegetic sounds of the bathroom. 

We then hear the sound of the shower turning on. This again is a diegetic sound which helps us to feel the reality of the situation, making the rest of the scene more terrifying as we see that it can happen to anyone. At this point the volume increases so that all we can hear is the sound of the shower. It gives the impression that it is all that can be heard and it is drowning out any other noise. This sound is synchronous to the shower and it is all that the audience are focusing on. Although it is a very normal and harmless sound, the diegetic sound of the shower lasts from 0:20-0:48 seconds, without any other interruptions. This prolonged length of time makes the audience uneasy and causes them to question what will happen next. The calming sound of the shower, which has connotations of relaxation and cleanliness suddenly because unnerving because that is all we can hear for 28 seconds. The steady, uninterrupted sound, automatically worries the audience and causes tension as they are anticipating something to come and interrupt this gentle, calming sound. 

At 0:48 seconds the audience is alerted to there being an issue as you can see the shadow of someone coming through the door.

At 0:58 seconds, the non-diegetic soundtrack begins. At this point, the tension is at its peak as we are alarmed by the high pitch harsh sounds of the soundtrack. The soundtrack uses string instruments, such as violins, only playing very high, piercing notes, which cause the audience to feel uneasy and uncomfortable as it is not a normal or pleasant sound to listen to. The soundtrack is parallel to the non-diegetic sound of the shower curtain being pulled open. At 1:00 we hear the diegetic sound of the woman screaming over the top of the non-diegetic soundtrack. This again causes the audience to panic and adds to the intensity of the scene. The loud, piercing scream is not a nice sound and has connotations of danger and is often a warning that something bad is going to happen so it immediately grabs the audience’s attention and keeps them hooked and expectant.

 The volume of the soundtrack increases while the woman is screaming to alert the audience to the danger. The non-diegetic soundtrack is synchronous to the stabbing, giving the stabs more purpose and adding even more danger as the loud volume causes panic. Throughout the whole stabbing sequence, we continue to hear the shower running, just as it was before. This adds an eerie element to the scene because The shower has not stopped and the once relaxing sound becomes deadly and terrifying.

The soundtrack becomes faster and faster and more and more instruments are added to the soundtrack to increase the tension of the scene, however at 1:23 the high pitched loud soundtrack begins to die down and becomes slower and there are lower sounds used, symbolising the evil and the violence that has just taken place. It also signifies to the audience that something is about to happen to the woman.

 

At 1:52, the non-diegetic soundtrack stops after gradually decreasing in speed. Two seconds later, we hear the diegetic sound of the woman pulling the shower curtain off the rail, hook by hook. This slow process indicates her slow death and we hear the sound of each individual hook coming off the rail. This is a sound that we would want to be fast, however it happens in real time, forcing the audience to listen to each hook coming off the rail, emphasising her death.

We then hear a diegetic ‘thud’ when the woman falls out of the shower. This noise is sudden and alarming as it confirms for the audience that the woman is dead. This loud thud is aggressive and so is a direct contrast to the character of a woman, who we would associate with being dainty and not making such a loud sound, therefore emphasising the unusual events that have taken place.

The shower continues running and we hear in the scene is the plug draining away the water from the shower. As the camera zooms in closer to the plug draining away the water, the diegetic sound of the plug draining the water gets louder, drawing our focus to the blood that is being drained away and causing us to think and about and reflect on the events that have just taken place.

 

The scene ends with the shower still running in the background as we see an extreme close up of the woman’s eye, zooming out gradually to show the audience that she has been murdered.

Overall, the use of sound in this scene creates the uncomfortable and terrifying atmosphere for the audience and the non-diegetic soundtrack directly contrasts to the normal environment, making it more relatable and so more terrifying for the audience.

Prelim Task 1

I was in a group of 4 and in this group I was an actor. We had to use the storyboard that we were given to film a scene. I was person B. We decided to do it so that it appeared that B was scared. 

To ensure that we got all the shots that the storyboard required, we had to run the scene 3 times all the way through and each time, film it from a different angle. 

The first time we filmed it as a long shot to make sure that we got all of the action in the scene. We then filmed it as an over the shoulder shot, over my shoulder. The final time, we filmed it with a close up on my face.

Filming it all the way through was the most effective way to do it because it means that when we come to edit the scene, we will have enough footage to cut down and change it to how we want it. If we had done each shot individually, it would've not only taken longer, but also meant that when it comes to editing, we will not have enough footage if we want to change it around. 

We applied all the rules that we had previously learnt in the other camera lessons to ensure that we set up the camera correctly. We also put into practice the terms that you use on set; "standby", "rolling", "action", "cut" etc. This was important as it made sure that everyone in the group was aware of what we were doing and because we were filming in quite a busy environment, it made sure that people not involved knew what was going on and so were able to be considerate and let us film. 

After we had filmed the sequence, we realised that the camera had been on auto-focus and so we had to re-shoot the main parts of the scene. Although this was frustrating, it was alright as we had saved time by shooting the whole scene 3 times and so we had enough time to go over them again. Another problem that we ran into was that once we had decided where we would stand within the scene, it was difficult to remember the exact position that we had stood in. It is important to make sure you stand in the same place as it needs to match up in the edit. To make sure that we stood in the same place each time, we used markers. These ensured that we knew where we had to walk to and from to make sure that it was the same place each time. 

A problem that we ran into quite a lot was that the other actor and I struggled to remember all of our lines. As we had such a short amount of time to look at the script, it was difficult to remember the lines. To solve this, we tried to hold scripts up behind the camera as much as we could and we took our time, instead of rushing and causing us to mess up the lines even more. 

One problem that we had was continuity. It was important to make sure that we were turning the same way each time and using the same hands each time. To ensure that everything was accurate, we made sure that the director and the camera man made a note of everything that we did as actors so that we could keep it the same each time.

Doing this prelim task has taught me a lot for my upcoming thriller shoot. Putting the camera terms into practice was particularly useful as I was able to realise the importance of using these terms when working in a busy environment where people can't always hear you clearly.

To solve the issue of not knowing lines when doing a scene, I will make sure the actors know there lines and what they have to do and where they have to be well in advance of shooting to ensure that the scene looks as professional and slick as possible.

The prelim task has also taught me the importance of continuity. When filming a scene, if you do not take extra care to check the accuracy of everything in the scene, you end up wasting time by having to re-shoot all of the sequences. When filming the thriller, I will pay extra attention to the finer details because although it may take time initially, it will end up saving time in the long run.

Editing Lesson

In today's lesson we learnt about editing. We used the short sequences that we had filmed last week to edit into a smooth flowing sequence.

The editing software that we used was Premiere Pro CC. Before we began editing there were a certain amount of rules that we needed to know to make sure that we were able to edit effectively.

Rules

  Firstly, we had to learn the rules that accompany Premiere Pro CC. These were very important because they made sure that we were able to use the editing programme effectively and ensured that we didn't loose any work.

Mean every click
This was the first rule that we were told. This is so important to remember because one click can change everything. This is a good thing to keep in mind because it means that you consider everything you are doing and it ensures that you think through everything before you do it.

Make sure that you save your work.
This was an important rule because the editing facilities that we use are shared throughout the whole school. This means that it is particularly important to save work as there are so many projects going on.

Name the files appropriately 
This is important because when you are working in a group, everyone needs to be able to identify the file that you have worked on and so if you don't name it clearly, your work could easily get confused and you will not be able to finish your project.

Duplicates 
You must always make duplicates of all the sequences that you create and all the shots you have saved. This is very important because if any of your shots are accidentally deleted or you end up loosing them, you will always have a back up. This is a very important stage of editing as it means all the time and hard work that you have put into editing your sequence does not go to waste. When editing, it is good to edit the duplicate shot that you have made so that you always have an original, in case you decide to revert back to the original sequence.

Process
Once we had gone through all of the rules, we then moved on to actually edit the sequence we had shot.

Making a file
The first thing that we learnt how to do was make a file. In editing, files are called bins.

We then went on to watch the sequences that we had shot so that we could see what we wanted to do with them and see the amount and type of shots we had to work with. I found this stage very helpful because I was able to see what we had done and then was able to think of some ideas for how to edit the shots together effectively. 

Once we had done this, we were able to start cutting and pasting all of our shots together to create a sequence. We learnt that the most effective way to edit a sequence was to cut the shot just before the action started so that it began at just the right point. To start a shot at a certain point, you had to press 'i' on the keyboard. This was the same when ending a shot. You have to end the shot just before the action finishes, to do this you press 'o' on the keyboard. 

Timing is extremely important when editing a sequence and therefore we had to ensure that our clips began right at the start of the timeline on the editing screen and then we layered the clips on top of each other in order. 

Textual Analysis of a Film Poster: Aladdin

Aladdin is a Disney animation, adventure comedy targeted at young children. 

As this film is aimed at children, the colours and illustrations used are very bright and bold in order to make it clear to the children who the characters are. It is obvious that Aladdin is the main protagonist because he is dressed in white trousers. White indicates that he is the 'good guy' because it has connotations of  goodness, purity and is a heroic colour. His facial expression is very warm and happy, making him likeable and approachable. The fact that he is smiling makes it clear to the audience that he is good and he is in the foreground of the poster, making him more of a central focus and therefore indicating to the audience that he is the main character.

The title 'Aladdin' is written in a gold, rounded style font. The gold has connotations of wealth and power, reflecting the power that Aladdin has. It is also a very angelic colour further showing the audience the goodness and innocence of the character. The round font means that the title is easy to read and therefore it is perfect for young children to see and understand. The fact that it is just one word makes a bold statement and intrigues and immediately engages the audience as there is not too much to read. The background of the title is purple, another colour that connotes wealth and power and sometimes royalty. The colours of the title also co-ordinate with what Aladdin is wearing, indicating to the audience that he is the main protagonist.

 

Next to Aladdin is Jasmine, the princess. It is clear to the audience that she is a princess because she is wearing gold jewellery. The colour gold has connotations of wealth and importance, indicating that she is of high status and has money. Her facial expression is also bright and happy, much like Aladdin's making her seem less threatening and therefore tells the audience that she is also a good character within the film.

 

Jafar is the villain of this film. We know this through the film poster because he is wearing red and black which are colours that connote evil death and suffering. Aladdin and Jasmine are above Jafar and are larger than him and therefore appear closer to the audience, making the audience feel closer to them and also tells the audience that they are above him in status. He is looking up to them with an 'evil' expression.
His eyebrows, clenched fist and teeth make him appear threatening to the audience. There is a cave behind Jafar which is a mouth opening of what appears to be a tiger which could be a reflection of Jafar's character. The face has an evil expression and you can see the sharp teeth of the creature. Inside the cave it is an orange colour, this makes it seem as if the cave is on fire creating an even more threatening image and further showing the audience that Jafar is the antagonist of the film. Next to Jafar is his bird, Iago. This bird is red which reflects the same connotations of the colours that Jafar is wearing. The bird is mirroring Jafar's expression and the angle at which he is looking at Aladdin and Jasmine.
There is also a strong contrast shown between the characters through the clothes that they are wearing. Aladdin and Jasmine are both wearing very loose clothing, whereas Jafar is wearing very tight clothing, and a large cape.

 

At the very top of the poster, there is the Genie. The fact that he is the largest character and that he is above all the other characters shows his importance. This gives the Genie a God like persona as he is so high up and is looking over all of the other characters. His wide smile and eyes make him warm and likeable, not at all threatening, making him immediately popular with young children. However, his blue colour is a direct contrast to this. The colour blue has connotations of sadness and so the fact that he is smiling shows a direct contrast to this and could possibly suggest a deeper meaning; that the Genie is in fact unhappy. He is also wearing bits of gold. Gold has connotations of power and wealth, suggesting his power over all of the characters and giving him more of a majestic feel. The Genie has a similar beard to Jafar which could suggest that the Genie may not be all good or could show a connection to Jafar. The fact that both Jafar and the Genie have the beard makes Aladdin the outcast and tells us that he is not of the same status and from the same area as the Genie and Jafar.

Aladdin is holding a lamp. He is holding the lamp very close to him and with two hands, which signifies to the audience the importance of this prop. The two colours of the lamp are gold (a powerful and majestic colour) and pink. The pink flash on the lamp shows its power and the white light in the centre highlights its importance as white is a colour which connotes peace and purity. The colour pink has connotations of love, romance and passion and as Aladdin is holding it in front of him and Jasmine, it suggests to the audience that there will be a love interest between them.

The carpet that Aladdin and Jasmine are sitting on is also purple and gold, showing its magic and power, however, in the centre of the carpet, there is a blue square. Within the blue square, there appears to be red fire which has connotations of evil and death and there are also tigers with their mouths open, just like the cave behind Jafar. This suggests that there will be evil within the magical world that Aladdin and Jasmine are in. The monkey on the back of the carpet is a loveable and comic character, due to the facial expression of wide eyes and an open mouth. It appears as is the carpet is in motion and he is clinging on the back of it. A monkey is a very popular and likeable animal and so would appeal to children of a young age and would add a bit of comedy to the film.