Different types of editing Continuity
This is when the audience does not realise that there are different shots and it just continues smoothly and they link with each other which makes it easier for the viewer to watch the sequence.
Montage
They often use this in television programmes to show what had happened before in the programme as a recap to the audience for example they do this at the beginning of each waterloo road episode.
Transitions
A transition is the term used when the editor cuts from one shot to another. Wipe This is where one image is replaced with another and it eliminates one shot with another. Dissolve
This is where one scene or image gradually moves onto another one and it is a smooth transition.
Simon Hall is the BBC's crime correspondent in the South West of England and is also the author of the Dan Groves and Adam Breen detective novells. On the 24th of November Simon Hall came into school to talk to us about media careers and journalism. It was a very interesting talk and was a real eye opener to what journalism entails and how to get into it. I thoroughly enjoyed hearing about someone being so interested in their career and it really made me think about what I would like to do in the future and that maybe I would like to do something associated with journalism. The talk was an hour long and he really showed us what it takes to be a journalist and and the positives and negatives of it.
Types of sound in films. Diegetic sounds This is sound where it is visible on the screen for example
Voices of characters
Sounds made by objects in the film e.g. radio, television and phone
Music as represented as coming from instruments in the space
Diegetic sound can be either on screen or off screen.
Non- Diegetic sound
This is where is not visible on the screen or has been implied in the action of the film for example
narrator's commentary
sound effects
mood music
It is represented as coming from a source outside of the film.
Sound is actually more important in films than it is given credit for because the audience can listen to many different sounds at once.
Here are some examples of different types of sound
Dialogue
This is the sound of characters talking o each other onscreen.
Ambient (natural sound)
An example of this is he room tone. This is the background of the movie set.
Additional Dialogue Recording (ADR)
This is when dialogue is recorded after the film has finished filming. This could be done if something ruined the dialogue during shooting.
Narration
This is when you can hear the voice of a person speaking but they are not seen in the film.
Sound effects (SFX)
This is any sound created for the movie.
Score
This is original music created for the film
Soundtrack
Music included in the film that wasn't created for he film.
Sound included in films can help a film stand out and be remembered for example the violin scene in psycho when Marion Crane gets stabbed in the shower.
Another classic sound effect is the sound of Darth Vader.
The opening starts with their groups ident of "scully entertainment" it flashes onto the screen and then stays at the bottom of the it as the first shot begins of a boy walking into a room. The music playing in the background is quite eerie and mysterious which is good because their film is called "The missing" so it has a creepy feel to it. As the film is beginning the actors names start appearing in the scene at the corner of the shot. The first shot is of a boy looking at missing person records on various people. To do this shot they are using an over the shoulder shot and the first establishing shot was a mid shot to show a character walking out of a lift and into a rom. They show one of the records to have a sticky note on the back when he sorting through them which says something unfortunately though its quite hard to read as the scene carries on but if you pause it you can make it out to be an address.
Example of the over the shoulder shot.
The scene cuts to another person with a mask covering their head tied onto a chair this is only a short scene as it later cuts back to the first character show. Already you can tell that the genre of the film is an acton film due to the the idea of someone being kidnapped. The opening carries on shifting to each character one of them being in a lift and in a public car park the other tied up in a cupboard. One of the shots of the boy in the cupboard is an extreme close up of his face to show the characters emotions and to show how scared he is.
An example of setting the scene for an action film.
The final part of the opening is set at a third characters house and is the first time the characters speak to one another throughout the whole opening. The scene ends on a cliff hanger as the private investigator arrives. I think its clever how there is not much speaking in this opening because it creates more suspense and mystery when watching it. The lighting in the opening is quite dark and uses quite neutral colours with the car park being greys and both rooms being dimly lit. The only bright colour in the opening is the car that the boy drives which is red and in the scene where he pulls up at the house it stands out very clearly with it being surrounded by grey cars.
Ident
An Ident is what a company uses to identify themselves it usually either a short video or a visual imagery. Some purposes of idents is to Identify a channel Marketing Branding Visual simulation Raise viewing figures The key points for an ident are Setting Tempo Audience interaction Entertainment
This in an example of an ident from Pixar. This ident is widely recognised as being funnier than other idents as it shows an animation of a desk lamp seen jumping past the various letters that spell Pixar and jumping on the I only to later squish it and turn into it. Examples of others idents
AS coursework
Our task is to film a clip which would be used as an opening sequence to a film. We have chosen the genre of drama to base our opening of and want to set it around the disappearance of Genette Tate. The task is out of 100 and has to be up 2 minutes long. 20 marks for research and planning 60 marks for construction 20 marks for evaluation
This is our preliminary task, what we had to do was to film a conversation between two characters. We had to include three different camera angles 180 degree rule, shot reverse shot and match on action. One of the characters had to open and walk through a door using match on action and then had to sit down opposite the other character and begin the dialogue. We then used the other two angles while they were in conversation. We decided to do an argument between a boyfriend and a girlfriend where the girlfriend is accusing her boyfriend of cheating on her. I think that some parts of the filming were successful for example we managed to include all the camera angles required and managed to get it to 1 minute 55 seconds. I feel like we are more prepared now for our main task and have learnt from the mistakes we have made such as getting better lighting and trying to get more of a clearer idea of what the characters will say to each other. I think that if I was to do this task again I would find a better location to set the scene because the lighting wasn't very good and I would take more time to properly set out each individual shot more so that it would be a cleaner cut through the scenes and so we would know exactly what we were doing for each shot. Doing this as well would help make the editing process easier. I feel like overall there are definitely improvements to be made but that will just help us to make our other practical work better.
We were given three film openings to look at, The usual suspects, Mottai Boss and Blade to help with our final piece. The usual suspects
In this opening scene the use of fire and the ticking clock gives an idea of suspense and gives a clue the the films genre may be action. Adding to suspense the music is low and eerie but the builds up to a higher climax when the cigarette drops and the fire starts. There is low dimly lit lighting used as well throughout the scene giving the impression of mystery that the source of the light is the fire. There is little dialogue in the scene which adds to the mystery and suspense, and the death of the man leads to the danger and action of the film too. Adding to this is the faint sound of sirens at the end of the scene and any type of siren is normally associated with a crime. You can't see a lot of objects and setting in the scene and so this sparseness conveys a mysterious look to the scene. Blade
This film opening is vey unique and different. It seems quite confusing when first watching it because a lot happens at once in a short space of time. The scene is pretty grim and gruesome because it turns into a blood bath towards the end literally. The strobe lighting used and the loud pumping music adds to the intense scene and increases the level of suspense. Towards the end of the opening scene is where it starts to get confusing because this where the blood starts to pour from the ceiling and everything gets messed up and frantic. The opening scene portrays the film to be a genre of violence and horror. Mottai Boss
This scene is shown to a little lighter in genre than the other one but is still shown to be maybe a violent film with the army officers shown to in the scene. The scene starts off with a man who is shown to be in a helicopter landing in front of a crowd of people all happy to see him. There is harsh rap music playing in the background which makes us think that this character is very powerful and in charge as the words to the song say "the boss". Mixed in with this sound is the crowd screaming showing the man to be very popular. The man is shown to be quiet a confident man this hints he may be the main character. In this scene one of the men is shown to be accusing the leading man to be another man called Sivaji who is supposedly dead.
When trying to consume ideas for our title sequence we had to research three title sequences, Catch me if you can, Dawn of the dead and Napoleon Dynamite. Catch me if you can
This title sequence was very clever how it linked the names of the actors and production team into the animation which was the key feature of the title sequence. The titles gave off some ice of the film being a mystery with the various animated characters walking around the titles as the jazz slow music plays in the background. The title sequence gives off connotations go sophistication and class this is because with most of he animated men wearing suits and the ladies dresses and the use of swimming pools and cocktails gives the impression of wealthiness. The title sequence also gives an impression of business which might give a hint to what the film is about. This title sequence also reminded me off one of the old pink panther films like "shot in the dark".
Dawn of the Dead
The red of the letters is a signifier of blood and violence which is a clue to what the film will be about, the black background is a signifier of darkness and works well with the red letters. The scenes of war and battle gives an insider to what the film includes and the voice over gives a representation of that too because it includes sentences such as "are these people alive or dead"this helps indicate that the film will be about death and an epidemic of something. Napoleon Dynamite
This title sequence shows a very simple mise en scene with a carpet in a house being shown as the background and only simple everyday objects being used for the names of people. The chilled happy music may give and indicator to the film being a comedy rather than horror or a drama. The title sequence looks like it revolves around a home move with the characters hand being shown yo put props onto place to try and keep the camera in focus and having everyday objects used such as plates of food,drawings and stationary.
Mise en scene Mise en scene is the arrangement of scene and stage properties in a play this includes props, costume, lighting and the position of characters and objects in frame. The five types of mise en scene Setting The set refers to the decor of the set and mainly its furniture and props. This creates a sense of mood and may reflect a characters emotional state of mind. Settings can either be created from scratch or can be located, the right set can help to manipulate the audiences views and creates meaning.
The setting used in this photo shows an eerie atmosphere which helps to show the audience what kind of genre the film is.
Costume hair and makeup Costume and hair and makeup act as an instant indicator to help the viewers see the characters personality and who they are. Costumes also help us to see what period of time the film or programme is set in and some costumes help to signify the character and as a way of symbolising them. For example Dorothy from Wizard Of Oz wears a blue and white checked dress which is what signifies her from other characters. Stage makeup is used as well to help signify who the character is for example a villainous character like the Joker in Batman has a distinguished make up style that helps the viewer understand who he is and gives the viewer an idea of what the character is like.
The difference between the two characters costumes convey to the audience the different backgrounds they are from. One character having bright colours and extravagant clothes meaning they are from a richer background, the other having plainer clothes and dull colours. Facia expressions and body language Facial expressions help to clearly show the viewer exactly how the character is feeling, for example if they are smiling we assume they are happy and if their eyebrows are low and close together the character may be seen as angry or annoyed. Body language gives the viewer an indicator into how a character is feeling towards another character.
This facial expression shows the character to be in pain and is obviously distressed.
Positioning of characters and objects in a frame Certain positions of certain characters/objects in frames can draw the viewers attention to an important character or object. When this is used affectively certain positions of characters can help distinguish what the relationship is like between people. The positioning of the characters being sat apart from each other in the scene shows how they have a negative relationship with each other and are unhappy. lighting and colour Using certain colours in scenes give a scene a particular look feel or mood. Red gives connotations of love, danger and passion so a scenes involving them could mostly be used in films with genres of drama whereas yellow gives the connotations of joy, energy and it is seen as quite a warming colour so a scene involving this colour would be one of happiness. Various types of lighting can be used to highlight important characters and objects and also be used to portray what the character is like, for example if you wanted to add mystery to a character the lighting would be in shades to cover up their face. There are two key types of lighting used the first one is low key lighting which is created by using the back and key lights and produces sharp contrasts of light and dark areas and creates distinct shadows and silhouettes. The second one is high key lighting which uses more filler lights are used and it is more natural and realistic to the viewers eyes. The lighting in this scene gives off a scary and creepy feel to the character portraying them as a villain because the shadow is cast upon them. It also gives a dark vibe to the scene. I think that mise-en-scene is important when we start to film our opening as the lighting will reflect the genre of our opening for example we will want natural lighting to portray a realistic look to our film. Props will also play a huge part in our opening as will costumes so we can see who each character is portraying. We are using what we have learnt to portray a realistic mood to our opening.
