Thursday 27 January 2011

Film Openings

I have watched a number of opening sequences for films over the past weeks and the styles differ quite a lot.
In some openings it introduces characters and in others the director takes a more abstract view, for example in "Napoleon Dynamite" the opening is of different foods with peoples names written on them with mustard or ketchup.
Whereas in "17 Again" the opening is a scene between a basketball player in high school (Zac Efron) and his coach. This is a typical opening sequence as it sets the scene for the rest of the movie. Whereas in "Napoleon Dynamite" takes an alternative approach for the movie.

Thursday 13 January 2011

Coursework

For my coursework I have to film the opening two minutes of a film.
I have been looking at beginnings of films for inspiration.
I've looked at;
"Stranger Than Fiction",
"Superbad",
"Hitch",
"Pulp Fiction"
"Adventureland"
"Scott Pilgrim vs. The World and
"Lost In Translation."

All of these films openings are very different. For example in "Superbad" the two main characters played by Jonah Hill and Michael Cera are dancing whereas in "Adventureland" the main character played by Jesse Eisenburg, is having a conversation at a party.
Both films have different opening scenes as one has no speech and one has a conversation that sets the scene for the rest of the film.

Tuesday 5 October 2010

Media

We have been filming a short film, in our film we have centred it around two central characters a brother and sister. The sister has terminal cancer and the brother is the only carer for her.
The sister wants to die as there is no cure for her cancer, the brother gives her the drugs to die but then you don't actually see him give her the drugs to die but the next scene is of the brother dropping the sisters mittens on her grave. This is then end of the short film.

Saturday 2 October 2010

3 Point Lighting System

The key light, shines directly upon the subject and serves as its main light source. The Sun often serves as a key light.

The fill light also shines on the subject, but from a side angle relative to the key and is often placed at a lower position than the key (about at the level of the subject's face).
It is usually softer and less bright than the key light.

The back light shines on the subject from behind, often to one side or the other. It gives the subject a rim of light, serving to separate the subject from the background and highlighting contours.

Tuesday 14 September 2010

Mise En Scene

Facial Expressions and Body Language
1. Facial expressions provide a clear indicator of how someones feeling
2. If someone is smiling broadly we assume they are happy but we may get a different view if there's scary music
3. Body Language may also indicate how a character feels towards another character or may reflect their relationship.

Positioning of characters and objects in the frame
1. Positioning within a frame can draw attention to an important character or object
2. A film-maker can use positioning to indicate relationships between people

THE BREAK UP
In this image it shows two people on a sofa. You can tell this is a tense moment in the film as they are sitting so far apart from each other. One of the actors Jennifer Aniston is in the 'double cross' she has both her arms and legs crossed. She's defensive and shying away from the other actor, Vince Vaughn. He is more open than she is as he is half looking at her through the corner of his eye. He is not as blocked off as she is his legs aren't crossed and his hand are open. This is quite a comic image also as they are sitting as far away from each other as possible but still on the same sofa.

Colour and Lighting
1. Colour carries certain connotations which may add meaning to a scene (i.e. red= danger or passion)
2. Can give a scene a certain mood
3. Can be used for dramatic effect
4. Can be used to highlight important characters or objects in the frame
5. Can be used to make characters look mysterious by shading sections of the face and body
6. Can be used to reflect a characters mental state/hidden emotions (i.e. bright = happy, dark = disturbed, strobe lighting= confused)

Monday 13 September 2010

Our charcter :)

Caitlin Robbins
Becky Curson
Jess Baker


Laura Shipman is a 16 year old student, on the outside Laura looks like an average girl.
However Laura doesn't fit in with any of her friends, she hangs out with all the popular girls but she never seems to fit in with them, never being invited out with them and she doesn't join in with their conversations.
Even though she hangs out with the "populars" she doesn't look like any of them. She has wirey brown hair, which she now dyes blonde in an attempt to fit in with the rest of her "friends"
Laura feels depressed that she has no one to talk to in her life. She is depressed and has no way to express her feelings, she thinks about killing herself but never has the nerve to do it.

My Character Profile for Pikachu

PIKACHU,
Pikachu is male, he is one of the characters from the Pokemon series, this was originally a TV series.
Pikachu is a pokemon character from the series Pokemon.
Within the world of the Pokémon franchise, Pikachu are often found in houses, forests, plains, and occasionally near mountains, islands, and electrical sources (such as power plants), on most continents throughout the fictional world. As an Electric-type Pokémon, Pikachu can store electricity in its cheeks and release it in lightning-based attacks.
Ash Ketchum is Pikaschu's owner. In Pokemon they fight with each other.