Evaluation of AOTT activity

Synopsis:

Our film's genre is crime thriller titled 'MINE'. The synopsis is that a detective is in search of his girlfriend who gets kidnapped, the film follows his journey in parallel to hers. He eventually finds her and they get married.

In our film opening it introduces the victim- the stereotypical damsel in distress. It also introduces the villain who is in fact hidden by a mask which is a key feature in the film. The opening portrays the kidnap and ends just before the audience find out who the villain is which builds suspense and hooks the audience.

We have included only a few titles to promote the actors and director shown in the opening. This is used as the institutional branding and may induce celebrity endorsement or  generate excitement and interest int he audience if they are familiar with their work. The end shot is a cut away to the title 'MINE' which gives the audience an idea of context as the victim belongs to the villain. The title is short and simple so it sticks int he audience's mind and is placed on top of the mask which the villain wears to conceal his identity. This reinforces the crime thriller genre as it is quite creepy and dramatic.

Our opening is quite ambiguous and will leave the audience wondering who the villain is and what happens with the victims. They should be shocked and anticipate the rest of the film as they will be awaiting answers as to why she got kidnapped. The opening has a clear narrative flow and the variety of shots such as close-ups of the victims face depict the fear and engage the audience more. The audience should be left feeling slightly scared and in despair as they are helpless.

Our opening introduced two of our main characters very effectively to introduce our  antagonist and victim. The disruption is also introduced immediately via our narrative which i think is shown very clearly. The titles are also very important to anchor our opening and provide institutional context and these have also been placed to aid the action rather than detract focus. We also incorporated key iconography to connote the genre such as the duct tape on the victim's mouth and being kept in the trunk of a car. The close-ups of the victim looking nervously around and the villain wearing a mask to hide their face also symbolize danger which comes with a crime thriller genre.

I think my project is very effective as a film opening as it has a clear narrative and genre. I think it hooks the audience in well and will make them desire to find out more. I like our range of shots used but i think we could have included more institutional context and played on he audience's needs slightly more. Our opening also includes a master shot so the audience understands where the scenes are taking place and it connotes the genre well.

Accident sequence

Above is a six shot story which our media group filmed without any editing to try and achieve continuity and practice following the rules to produce a successful piece. 

1) To aid the narrative flow of our sequence we attempted to use a variety of techniques such as different shots and framing, we tried to make smooth transitions from a low angle pan upwards to a high angle shot of the girls dropping the ball. The low angle shot where the camera was placed on the floor was also quite effective and dramatic. We made sure to follow the 30 degree rule and change each shot enough so that there wasn't a jump cut. I think we achieved the match on action shot very well between shots 2 and 3 and the shots changed just as the ball was dropped so the action was not repeated. This also gave the audience a point of view and understand the purpose of the shots. Our story had a logical structure and good concept, we also included a master shot and a pan of the setting in shot 1. I particularly liked the dialogue and thought that our actors were very good. Despite it being a very bright day we managed to avoid silhouettes and we kept the lighting the same throughout all the shots. 

2) In hindsight there are quite a few things i would change to aid the continuity of my sequence. I think the camera movement, particularly in shot 1, was rather disconnected and unsteady, the double zoom also broke up the narrative flow and distracted the audience. I also think that shot 2 could have lead on more smoothly from shot 2 if we had had a slight difference of shots so it was more clear that the bullies were above her, this is where the 30 degree rule would apply. In some of our shots our actors were unaware of when to start the shot which was due to a problem with directing. We could also hear the bounce of the ball before it hit the victim which we would have edited out on the computer if we had been able to. In shot 5 the camera tilt was very dramatic but i don't think we used it as effectively as we could have so we would have made that transition more smooth. 

Film Opening Analysis

Quantum of Solace (2008) — Art of the Title

I have chosen to analyse 'Quantum of Solace' which is an action/adventure/thriller film. The opening follows typical film opening conventions including the film title, enigma and introducing the main character(s).

From the 3 minute opening we are not entirely sure where the film is going to be set but the desert animation connotes a foreign land which we later find out is actually Bolivia. The gun is a generic signifier to connote violence and fighting crime. This works with misc-en-scene with James Bonds' outfit of a black suit which is standard of a spy to wear, this could also be linked to the morally darker side of his job.

The first shot is of James Bond shooting a gun, the camera then follows the bullet across the land with Bond as a reoccurring character and the audience identifies him as the main protagonist. We then see him walking away from an explosion which suggests this film will be about good vs evil. A female then rises elegantly from the sand at 1 minute 34, this connotes a love affair and we then see her repeatedly throughout the rest of the opening so we can assume she is another main character to aid Bond on his mission. Bond is then seen falling through the sky hopelessly which suggests tragedy in the film.

This opening tells us that the film is from Bond's perspective and it is about his story as the hero. This tragedy would be the disruption and the audience can tell that they will now be following his journey throughout the film. Although these events are not directly relevant to each other they actually inform the audience on the structure of the film and are all linked together by following the bullet. The villains remain unknown and so does the cause of the situation in order to keep the audience hooked.

The chosen song 'Another way to die' by Jack White and Alicia Keys creates a very tense, upbeat atmosphere. The typography is also in a bold white font but does not draw attention away from the graphics but instead contrasts with the neutral color scheme. The typography is a typical convention used for institutional branding.

The audience will expect fight scenes and romance but this opening also leaves the audience wondering if he survived the fall and whether he defeats the villains, 'Did the bullet hit?'. In a film opening the audience needs to know who the protagonist and antagonist is and the genre of the film should be connoted. They should begin to piece together story information while watching the opening, this is known as the cognitive theory.

Film still analysis.

I have chosen this still from the move 'The Dark Knight' as it is my favorite film and I find the camera work really amazing and this scene especially stood out to me.

In this still it is shown that the Joker is sitting in a jail call as seen from the bars and cage-like enclosure. This connotes imprisonment and danger and it is obvious that this character is meant to be portrayed as the villain.

There is rather gothic iconography being used to connote the horror/thriller genre. The character is clearly a clown but the lighting falls across is face to brighten him alone and juxtaposes with the dark background. His makeup and outfit imply that the movie will have a sub-genre of comedy. His evil expression suggests he is contemplating his next attack.

This still will build tension in the audience and generate excitement as they await what the Joker does next. It connects with the audience's fears and hooks them into the film so they can not stop watching.

My film still.

1) I chose this shot to replicate the most memorable scene from 'The Imbetweeners 2', a comedy film and this shot was meant to represent the amusing 'tragedy' which the characters face. We achieved this and signified the chosen genre by the character's facial expressions and the composition of the shot. The lighting was also quite bright so it doesn't create a depressing tone but is instead light-hearted and laughable.

2) To actually achieve this effect we used a long shot to connote the character's despairing body language and over exaggerated attitudes towards their situation. This shot was perfect because it was also close enough for the facial expressions to be viewed but also to see the setting and where they are situated.

3) In our still we were trying to communicate exhaustion and despair but also the over-exaggeration of the characters. We assumed that the audience would already be familiar with these characters so to see them sitting hopelessly on the floor on a bright, summers day would be humorous for them.

4) I think our positioning of the characters was successful and that the type of shot we used worked effectively to connote our genre.

5) In hindsight I would use the lighting more effectively to create a more dramatic or humorous effect. I would also make the shot tighter so there was slightly less background and maybe position my actors differently as the two on the end were the same.