Welcome to Group 2's blog.
As a group we have gone through good times and we have enjoyed working well together sharing jokes and ideas. Are group dynamics has always been cheerful and full of laughter during are group blogging and filming process. Here in Group 2 we have : are main man, the boss, Hasan, Next we have are adorable joyful Jebeen, next we have the cheerful loving Christina and last but not least Rochelle
Intertextuality is when a film has taken some elements and ideas from a pre-existing film. Theres one particular film in which many other films have borrowed the elements in the film, Psycho, in particular the shower scene. This scene is very successful in building up tension, its so good that it leaves a lasting impact on the audience. The scene shows a woman doing some maths at first then getting into the shower, the editing at this point represents how calm the situation is as everything is smooth. There are many shots to show that nothing special is going to happen. However the sound of the water suggests otherwise, it slowly builds tension up and the tension levels almost hit the roof when we can see the mysterious figure. Then Theres the sudden impact of the figure with the butcher knife stabbing the life out of the lady and there's blood splattering all over the white tiles and the music emphasises on each stab. Then we see the lady sliding against the tiles and the water going down the drain suggests that her life is going down the drain as well.
Many aspects from this one scene such as mise-en scene and shot angles have been borrowed in a numerous amount of films. For example in The Stepfather (2009), in the final fight scene, the wife stabs the stepfather in the neck and he lands in to a bathtub dragging the shower curtain along with him and sliding down the wall staining the white tiles as he goes down. This is a direct reference to the famous shower scene in Psycho, where someone is stabbed (not in the neck) and the shower curtian comes off and the white tiles are stained with blood.
Another scene which "borrows" certain aspects from the shower scene of Psycho is from Fatal Attraction, where there is a scuffle in bathroom between 2 women and later on a woman and a man. A butcher knife is used quite alot, an obvious reference to Psycho, similar shot types are used such as the over the shoulder shot during the stabbing. The scuffle is in a bathroom, there are white tiles which soon become bloodstained, another reference to Psycho. And during all this, water from the shower can be heard throughout, another direct reference to Psycho.
The Stepfather also borrows some aspects from Fatal Attraction such as the part when person runs up the stairs and the mirror being smashed.
Learning about Intertextuality has taught me that it can be used to inspire a film maker and stuff can be borrowed and in some cases when its borrowed it can be adapted and improved. I think this will help during our thriller and i hope to make a direct reference to Psycho by including the knife at some point during our opening.
Here's a demonstration of how Foley sound is done and the basis of it. However this clip of Foley sound is an old time production of it being done because the equipment in today's technology would allow us to place it anywhere on the editing software and not need to be in exact sync, all though some exact sync is needed. This information cab followed up by Foley sound - how its done and the history.
Our target audience for our thriller trailer should be about 15+ because thrillers are normally not horror but along the lines of horror.
if our trailer is more about teenagers more young people would watch it, 15+ would be good for thriller movies because they will understand the concepts of the film and the story line the directer would like to portray.
THE FILM 4.3.2.1 GOT ME THINKING ABOUT OUR THRILLER TRAILER.
4321 was about 4 normal girls who got themselves involved with the stealing worth of a million hundred thousand pounds worth diamonds.
So the initiative in our thriller could be something along the lines of 4 normal college students get themselves into a multi national crime thats worth a lot of money
i don't watch a lot of thriller films but if i was watching a thriller film it would have to be thriller-horror film or thriller-scifi or thriller- romcom.
4.3.2.1 was a thriller i liked it was like thriller/adventure with a bit of action.
even though the genre is just THRILLER it does overlap with other genres
this film inspires me in the world of thriller because its about 4 girls and close to daily life. It also shows how one thing can change a persons life.
the camera techniques was very good, and the scenes in the shop was also entertaining and remarkably interesting. It adds up suspense and the cliff hanger at the end of the film got me wanting to know the end which is also a good thing because when the next part comes out i will go to watch it.
The student thriller I have chosen to analyse is Pulse
This is because when i was watching it, it contained elements of suspense and the convention of a thriller starting of slow and getting a climax of an action happening. The different use of camera angles and shot has made it tense and the mise en scene has captured the real life scenario of the woman running. In addition with the Foley sound to enhance the dreaded action that is about to foreshadow as it delivers the audience to a suspenseful atmosphere.
the newspaper image without the tense atmospheric sound
the newspaper turned a page with tense atmospheric sound
When studying the sound i noticed that when the newspaper is on the floor there was different sound being played more normal road noise creating a normal day situation. However when the newspaper changes a page, a tense shrill drone appears creating a twist on everyday and suggesting that something bad is about to appear. This is then acknowledge who the victim is by the person running on top of the paper. They have use a high angle close up on the foot of the person. the high angle creates the idea of vulnerability when she is running. In addition she had stepped on the mans face that suggest that there is a link between the man in the newspaper article and her. they have segmentation her body expressing the vulnerability because they are only showing her foot.
They have used a long shot of the woman running at the back stressing the vulnerability of the woman running alone. In addition along shot is used for the audience to understand why this is happening in the park. This is because stories of being sexually attacked. they have taken a real life scenario and being sensitive when creating the scene.
Throughout her running scene, they have still used the shrill hollow drone in background.
However the sound changes to a more of a pleasant atmosphere when the first name of the opening credits appeared, to more of an upbeat guitar tempo. Suggesting that this music is the motif for this girl as an innocent, free girl, who is unaware what is about to happen.
In terms of editing they have changed the picture scene from the image on the left it is clear after the girl has ran passed it however it the picture scene has changed because it has received a lot of light, the picture on the right. During the editing process they must of changed the brightness. This suggest that the light signifies her life about to end, and the flash is her last memory, or exist her walking pass the wall.
They have used a wide shot of the girl running. To establish her setting where she is going and that there is know one around which stresses his vulnerability. The girl is wearing the fitness attire to suggest that women like these are an easy target.
During the editing process they have used a dissolved transition from the girl running and the man in the newspaper. They have used the transition for the audience to be aware this man will have an impact on the girls life. In addition they use a slow zoom to create the effect that the man in the newspaper is menacing and troubled man.
A slow zoom has been used from the transition on the newspaper to the close up of the mans face.
First scene
Second scene
As well during the editing process they use a slow motion effect, to dramatise the effect of her running pass the man and creating a tense atmosphere because, as, the audience we see that she is running pass the criminal.
They use a bus stop in the background to imply that this sort of stuff happen everyday and in the usual places. In the next scene the mise en scene shows that this will happen into the park and the children's play area, this is because it signifies the fact that people, like, the man in the newspaper are in local areas where people are vulnerable. the park symbolises the innocents of young children. The park suggest that people are easy targets in this case it is implying that women are easy targets.
When it goes further on the clip the mood changes and then there is motif for when the man enters back on the scene. A shrilling high pitch sound. The sound sounds like and 'arh' and 'eee'. Suggest danger and creates tension.
In this scene the man is walking forward.
They then used and over the shoulder the shot from a high angle to make the man have more power as he has not effected by this, however the girl is vulnerable and is looking up to the eye line match.
They then use a two shot to show the distance between the two of them and it demonstrates the body language. The girl looks awkward and still arms hunch ready to defend herself while the man is standing firm looking directly at her. This is taking part in the woods where there is no light visible and seclude them away from the rest of the world. This suggest that at these uncomfortable encounters no one can help.
The film can be better if Foley sound was used often. The Foley sound can be used when they were running through the forest where there are the sound of hard crunchy leaves. In addition theye should be the sound of the cars when passing onj the road to create a more real life effect. The can add more emphasis when the page is changing on the However it is used when the woman is running on the puddle to eate a more empahsis. The frame is good when it is on the over the shoulder shot, this is because the mans head is taken out at the top. The camera work is bad after the footage when the man is on the swing to create from his persepective. The camera is rocking when it should be going smoothly back and forth as if on the swing. this makes the film low quality. For the mise en scene they should of added more children and families in the play area to create a real life situation.
The title scene can be better by adding a shuddering effect or a pulsing effect hence the name Pulse.
This thriller is about a girl who lives by herself in a basement flat. In her basement flat it contains pictures of all the people she has befriend and their possession next to it. she has a red cross going through their face and then a green tick on their possessions. She is a middle age woman but has an identity of a 17 year old. However she is able to get into different sixth form colleges after each term has ended. While she is in sixth form she befriends her peers which she find their possessions special and decides to take it away from them by murdering them and leaving school.
In the opening credits it would show the green eye girl in the middle of the room there would be a camera doping a low angle and high angle rotation the through her eyes as we focus on to the wall were the pictures are on the wall. there are several pictures on the wall but a slow zoom on the particular ones. For example there could be a picture of a girl and the green eye girl linking arms. Then it will go to the next scene where they are walking acting as friends to a snap shot on the girl's bracelet. The snap shot acts as an audio reference, linking it back to the photographs on the wall. Following that the next scene will show the close up of the girls wrist then the action of the bracelet being taken off the girls arm. Then a slow zoom out to show the dead girl on the floor lying flat out on the floor. That there is a transition of a fast zoom into another picture on a guy who is her "boyfriend" who has the latest phone, obviously, she likes it can the next scene shows him hanging over the railings and her picking up his phone and walking away. Finally this time the picture is not on the wall she is showing you how she is going to attack her next victim, who is getting ready in the bathroom for a party, an decides to still her dress to wear instead.
The bathroom scene can contain intertextuality of Psycho or Fatal Attraction.
Then there would hear a red marker make a cross and a tick on an image, when the green eye girl has put it on. Lastly we go to the wall but a slow zoom to a group of friends, who are her next target!
the opening credits will mainly a discrete because we don't know what will happen to the girls because the situation can change but it can be a narrative.
Monday, 16 January 2012
Film genre and the cinema in 2010
In class we looked at the FDA yearbook for 2011 cinema viewings.
In 2010 38 suspense films were released. The suspense film must be the category as thrillers.
The suspense films made a gross profit to 42 million (to the nearest)
The highest gross profit made in 2010 was action film, meaning that action films obtained the highest profit.
The most popular family genre in 2010 were animation films, which were Toy story 3, Shrek forever after
In 2010 compare to all of the other genres suspense films did not seem to attract the majority of the audience and wasn’t as popular this is because they only had 4% box office. this suggests that it wasn't as popular. In addition we establish that they made a loss in their production as not alot of people watched it.
In a thriller I have noticed that there are certain conventions that apply to make a good thriller. This includes spooky music to create adrenaline, tense and suspenseful emotion for the audience and to create an uncomfortable atmosphere..
In addition opening credits of thrillers start off slow and then an outburst of sudden action creating shock and sudden interest in the film because people have made to jumped in the sudden action.
The characters look daunting malicious, vulnerable, tend not to appear what they seem to be, naive and one of the characters are wise/know that something is going to happen or wrong and tends to deal with it.
In the step farther theses characters traits have been demonstrted very well.
the man who is wise that something is not right
The naive mother
the man who doesn't seem to appear who suppose to be
Moreover there tends to be a resolution as the antagonist is captured or the protagonist is safe but the protagonist is still alive but out of harm’s way. This is shown in ‘The stepfather’.
In the opening credits the title tend to be creepy because they would either be zigzagged or have a shuddering effect. This is demonstrated in the opening credits of Se7en. The font in the opening credits of thriller is that it is bold and gothic.
The actors name is spaced apart from his last name and it does ashuddering action when it moves
here are possible locations where we can film are thriller. The picture on the left can be good because if we was to do a following scene in the night it has gothical trees. It is a silent road so we can't be disturbed easily bay traffic. there is a church in the far background.
The picture below is a possible location because there is more gothical trees and the poles can be used to hang props or use to be a camera angle.
On Monday 16th January we had to Re edit Arlington Road by working out what clip was next. Are group successfully managed to get the clips in the right order. We used the software final cut pro using the apple Macs. We noticed that when had put the clips together it had spelt out F-O-R-G-I-V-E-N. We Cracked the code and worked it out before are teacher had told the class.
After we were then told that we had to add opening credits using the same software Final cut Pro.
To add text there is this capital ‘A’ on the bottom right hand corner on the first footage screen where editing takes place. The word ‘sample’ will appear on the screen explaining that it is now possible for us to write our own text. You then have to go to controls button where it will show you the main function of changing the word sample to the name we wanted e.g.‘Produced by I.P. Freely’.
Also you can change the sound the style of writing, the colour, the size and whether you want the writing to be bold.
We chose are opening credits to be bold and have gothic font because it will stand out to the audience more when it is on top of the footage opening and we chose it to be in Black because it will stand out more.The gothic font was used to make it have a touch of fright as one of the main conventions are that thrillers tend to shock people and have a hint of sudden fright. We chose to have fun with it because it is our first attempt and so we will properly know how to do it when we do the real opening of our thriller.
We used this house style so it can stay consistent and professional all the way through the footage. We then clicked on video so we see are chosen text on top of the chosen scene.
We then click on this box icon that had a square in each corner. We then change it to image wire frame so we can move are chosen text we kept it most on the bottom right hand corner except for the title, Arlington Road’ where it was in the middle of the screenso it alerts the audience what the film is called. Reason for why we kept in the bottom so it can remain consistent.
We were then told that for us to make sure that it stays within the footage by clicking on the icon that brings up two light blue frame around the chosen scene, we had to make sure are text was not outside the frame.
The concept of 'Intertextuality' is that it means when similar scenes are used in other films, this is because they may like the structure of how it is set up. In addition the audience my recognise the scene and the mood of the film. This could be by the same camera shot, mise en scene and editing.
In class we can looked at What Lies Beneath, Fatal Attraction and The Stepfather, this is because they all used the aspects of the famous shower scene in Psycho.
In White lies Beneath the man has drugged his girlfriend so she is paralysed.
To display this they have used the same white clinical bathroom with the same white bath, same white tiles, the same shower head and the same white shower curtain. All of which have been borrowed from the original Psycho film. Another aspect borrowed from Psycho is the the noise of the shower being turned on and running. This creates a subliminal mood for the audience because the director is creating the same mood as Psycho. To create an audio reference for why the motive of using a shower. In addition the same ariel shot used to highlight the shower head.
Ariel shot in Psycho
ariel shot of shower head in White Lies Beneath
the white shower curtain and the white bath
Same white shower curtain and the white bath
In Fatal Attraction the scene shows a big fight scene between two women while the husband is downstairs in the kitchen. As one of the women are getting ready to have a shower. Once again the same layout of the bathroom with the same tile, the same shower curtain and the same white bath. In addition they have chosen to use a bath rob.
However what is different form White lies Beneath is that in Fatal Attraction they used the same knife as the one in psych and the same editing style when demonstrating the hectic stabbing scene. Moreover in they use the same action of the slow motion woman sliding down the bathroom tile the same style the way the woman slide down. In addition they used the same shot of the close up on woman's hand.
The same shaped knife
The knife in Psycho
Sliding down
Sliding down
Close up on woman's hand
the use of the same close up on the hand
In stepfather, once again the layout is the same because of the white tiles, the same bath, the same sound of the shower being turned on. The aspects borrowed from Psycho which is different from Fatal Attraction and White lies Beneath is that they used the same action of the white shower curtain being pulled down and the same low angle shot of that action. In addition the same action of the man slowly sliding down the tiles.
Same bodylangusge of stabbing
action of stabbing
The shower curtain falling
Shower curtain falling
All these aspects from Psycho are visual reference, could it be that the Alfred Hitchock has create an esstiental scene that makes a good thriller scene and for that to happen it should contain all these aspects. Or that Alfred Hichock is an inspiration to all.
However I notice that in The Stepfather there is some intertexuality form Fatal attraction. This is demonstrated, when the man in fatal attraction looks up at the ceiling and the teenage boy looks up at the ceiling, all in which both films this is done in the kitchen. Another aspect that has been borrowed from Fatal Attraction is the same stair case design - the same white and brown - and the same action as running up the stairs.
Intertextuality tells us that there is never the use of originality in films as film producers borrow from one another.
