Storyboard

There are 30 blocks to the storyboard. Our storyboard will be of great use to us during our filming process because it gives our filming a baseline to follow. From the first filming session onwards we can playback our footage and if our initial ideas did not follow through as we projected, there is an opportunity to re-film.  

The final 13 blocks of the storyboard consist of our title sequence, which explains who each character is played by and who was involved in every process of production. 

The storyboard:

Typography

The typography that will be used for our title sequence is called 'lucky typewriter' the size that we will be using is 60ppt in the colour white. The font will be capitalised throughout the whole of the title sequence.

This image gives an insight as to what our title sequence will look like.

In order for the text to move from one shot to the ned, the text will need to be converted to a gif file.

As a group we decided the title sequence would look best on a black background as the writing is white. Therefore it will stand out, and be legible. The reason for this decision is that it follows the basic codes and conventions of the thriller genre.

In order for this final decision to be made we often referred back to our research and planning. This was extremely helpful as we had deeply analysed what types of title sequences were successful and which were not so successful. Some of the title sequences I looked at were quite complex and others were simple. we decided on going with simplicity as over all the simple ideas worked best and tied the rest of the opening sequence together.

Locations- (location shots needed) and Props

Staff Room Kitchen

Alley Way 

image 

Train Sation 

image 

Outside a House 

image 

Props that are being used:

- Drinking Glasses
- Car
- Beer Bottle
- Cigarette 

The First Shoot- (kitchen)

Our initial filming schedule has been altered slightly. The first scene that shot today was: 'the kitchen scene' 

The second change that has been made, is the location of one of the scenes. The alley way scene will no longer be filmed at school- instead Chelsea will be filming it over the weekend. 

The first shoot was executed efficiently. As a team, whilst filming we looked at various camera angles that would best suit this particular scene. 

Tomorrow this footage will be uploaded and played back. This process will enable us to make further decisions. For example: - does lighting need to be altered?

                                       - was the camera shaky? if so re-shot is inevitable

                                       - does the shoot fit the frame? 

                                       - do camera angles need changing?

The first scene.

The first scene will be shot on the 25th Feb- 'The Alley Way' scene. The alley we will be using, is the one around the back of the school. We will use this because it fits the image we had projected in our mind. It is also extremely accessible, therefore if we require some re-shoots, it is convenient for everyone to participate.

I have sketched out two possible ways of shooting this scene. Once this scene has been shot we can look further into various other camera angles that could be used if we are not happy with the result.

1st shot

This scene will begin with the use of an establishing shot. The use of this shot will give an initial overview of the scene that will begin. This shot will also trigger some sort of thought process, within the audiences' minds, as too what could possibly happen within this scene, therefore engaging the audience into the movie as it connotes the feeling of suspense. Following this establishing shot the scene will cut into a mid shot, of the drunk man's back. The use of this shot gives the audience a slight insight into this particular scene, yet still not giving away any clues as to what might take place  in the rest of the scene- at this point the audience has not been told of any possible motives of where the drunk man is heading. Overall this shot does not allow any room for the audience to loose interest in the film, in fact it would engage them further. Last but not least, the final shot that will be used is a low angled shot. This shot will only show the drunk mans journey through his feet. This adds suspense to the scene because the audience is kept in the dark as to what is going to happen.

2nd shot

The second shot that could be used is similar to the 1st shot yet different in a way that could change the overall outlook of the scene. It uses the same shots but in a different order. However the establishing shot will remain at the beginning of the scene as it works best when introducing a new scene. The second shot that will be used is a low angled shot focusing on the footsteps of the drunk man, indicating his journey. The camera will change position to face the drunk man. The shot that will be used is is a close up to emphasise the emotion of the character, leaving the audience on a cliffhanger to ponder on what his intentions are.

Jane Eyre horse scene

Jayne Eyre- Horse scene editing and sound

In this scene the theme of gender was represented in many ways. In particular the concepts of editing and sound were used. To start off with non diegetic sound was used when Jayne Eyre was entering the scene. The non diegetic sound that was used, was a soft piano ensemble. This type of sound represented gender in a stereotypical way. It connoted the ideology that the female gender is feminine, gentle soft and almost weak. As a complete contrast to this the male gender was represented under the ideology that they are strong, powerful and dominating. This was also shown through with the use of sound. The scene used foley sound when the horse made an entrance. In the real world when a horse is galloping around, it would make a slight sound, however during the post production process the producer may have felt an exaggeration was needed to add emphasis on the fact that men are dominating.

So overall the use of sound in this scene led the audience to the conclusion that the male gender is the more dominating and stronger person, because of the musical backing each of the characters had. To further back up this conclusion the use of editing also had an impact.

Crosscutting was used when the man on a horse was making an entrance and when Jane Eyre was making an entrance.  Though they were two separate scenes to connote that two were going to meet crosscutting was used. However to emphasise that the female was less dominating the male had more screen time.

Jane Eyre desert scene analysis

Desert scene

The extract I am about to analyse from an episode of Jane Eyre. This clip starts off with an establishing shot of the desert. The use of this establishing shot was to give the audience a sense of what the girl was feeling. This was done by the fact that the desert was empty and desolate. This could emphasise the feeling of loneliness and isolation. This was further emphasised by the use of a pan shot- this was a vast shot of the empty desert with just the one girl in the middle of it. The use of the two shots together connotes her being isolated. Rounding the idea up with an extreme close up of her face. This connoted her various emotions and really gets the audience to connect with the character and her journey. The use of non- diegetic sound in this scene was slow and desolate which helped show the link of her feeling lonely. It added to the ambience of the scene almost taking the audience on the journey with her. Finally in terms of editing, a graphic match was used. This was done to ling into the next scene. In the desert there was a still shot on the girls face and then then the next scene came in where the girl was in the same position and her facial expression was the same throughout the transition. The aspect of mise-en-scene that was enhanced was the use of facial expressions. The girls face was depressed and looked as if she was deeply saddened. Overall all of these four aspects linked together to give the audience and idea that she feels lonely.

Behind the curtain.

This scene starts off with the use of a graphic match from the desert scene before. The girl has the same facial expressions and is in the same position. The use of this connotes that the feelings of loneliness that were represented before link through and stay with her throughout the rest of the extract. The use of camera is used further to represent the Jane’s insignificance throughout the extract. This was done with the use of high and low angles, when the camera was on the girl she was looking up at the camera when her brother came over to drag her out and beat her up, the camera was angles at a low angled connoting he had more importance and she was completely insignificant. The theme of insignificance seemed to be a theme throughout the clip as the use of a sound bridge showed her loneliness carry on from one scene to the next. Finally the use of foley sound exaggerated parts of the scene. When Jane’s brother hit her over the head with a book. The sound it made was much louder and defined than it would have been in real life. This exaggerated the intensity of the hit and how much hatred Jane’s brother has for her.

TV Drama essay practice techniques.

When you are given the question in the exam, one should automatically start to think about what they are going to see.

This is can be done because, each genre has a set of key concept and a set of codes and conventions that they each follow. 

Key Concepts 

• Ideology- a set of beliefs, sort of like a stereotype. e.g.- 'Blonde girls are thick'
• Audience
• Realism- verisimilitude which is alternatively known as surface truth or accuracy. 

when writing the essay these ideas should be clear in your head, because if you already have an idea of what you are going to see, before the clip starts you will be more likely to pick out the technical elements. 

The elements you should always keep a look out for are:

-mise-en-scene 

-editing

-sound

-camera angles

For an example to predict what you are going to see lets use the idea of gender. How will gender be represented typically?

The male character may be deemed to be more powerful so high angled shots would be used, loud strong sounds longer amount of screen time.- Parallel editing. 

However the female would probably have quite music backing her, less screen time and low angled shots to show she is less significant. 

Once these ideas have been planted in your head you are likely to pick out more techniques to write about. 

American Hustle

Editing analysis of American hustle trailer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ST7a1aK_lG0

-In this trailer many jump cuts were used. The jump cuts were used to draw the audience in, because it is a trailer of a movie the audience needs to be attracted to the movie almost instantly so they are inclined to go out and watch the film.

-The jump cuts used also speed up the scene which shows the film is fast paced and keeps the audience engaged at all times, always wanting to know what will happen next.

-The typography of the characters names in the trailer jump in on the screen 

the way in which they have been edited is that they match the pace of the music.  They have a quick entrance and exit- this therefore created the effect of a climax being built. 

-Finally the scene also uses cut away shots. This helps show they key points of the story in an efficient way without telling the whole story. 

The overall effect these editing techniques have on the audience, is that they are put together to draw the audience in, essentially creating what a trailer should be.

camera angles

In this Post I have captured a few examples of camera angles we can use within different scenes. they all have a different affect:


This is an image of a high angled shot, this could be shown to emphasise one character being inferior. Another use of this camera angle, is to make the character look a lot smaller, again resulting in with the same conclusion that the person under the camera is insignificant.

This is an example of a low angled shot. This shot makes the object/person look larger and more significant. Has the opposite affect of a high angles shot

This is an example of a mid shot, this shot is used to give the audience a sense of real life. This type of shot would make one feel as if they are watching it happen in real life.









This is an example of a long shot. This shot is used to prompt the audience to be aware of the set around them. It also gives off the idea that the scene is moving from one location to another.

Characters, Costumes, Profile Shots

Ace of Spades-

Reece will be playing the character of a drunk man. As a group we decided that his appearance would be relatively rough. In order to achieve this look, his costume will consist of a dirty white t-shirt, rough denim jeans and worn out footwear, he should also be carrying an beer bottle in his hand. This overall look gives the audience a feeling of intensity.

King of Aces- Aman Dhillon 

Aman's character is to be portrayed as high class and quite reserved. Therefore we have decided his character should be dressed in a suit and black tie. From his scene the audience will not gather much information about his character. His character will add the aspect of suspense and suspiciousness. He will be seen walking off the platform of a train station and making eye contact with one of the other characters.

                    

Jack of Clubs- Luke

This Character is to be portrayed as another mysterious person, but there seems to be some underlying history between King of Aces and himself. This is portrayed to the audience within the train scene. As the King of Ace walks off the platform he notices Jack of Clubs smoking a cigarette outside the train station. Luke's character will be dressed in a white shirt and trousers.

                   

Queen of Hearts- Chelsea's Mum 

Chelsea's Mum Character is to be portrayed as a lady with class. To represent Daisy as a lady with class her costume will be simple and modest. She will be wearing and tight fitted skirt that falls just below the knee, paired with a simple black cardigan and a cream scarf. Her character is very sly, because in the first scene she acts as though she takes orders, however towards the end, the audience will begin to realise that she is the leader of the game.

                    insert profile shot here