Friday 27 January 2012


Initial Research By Josh Brown                                  


The Assassination of Jesse James



Mise En Scene

- The first shot we see of the first character, he is wearing an olden style white shirt and black waistcoat. This accompanies the old style setting of the house to insist that the opening is set in the past during the era of cowboys. At 01:15, the setting of the cowboy filled bar is very dark, the only in-frame lightsource is from the outside. This lighting has been clever disguised to make the audience think it is the sun. This effect is shown from a long shot and presents all the characters as silhouttes to the audience. This raises questions about who they could be.

Camera Work

-At the first sight of the main character, a slow tracking shot moves in towards him in his rocking chair. This contributes to the relaxed feel of the scene. At 01:26, an extreme close up shows a land being run through a field of corn. The hand is in a shallow depth of field which empahsises the need to focus on the hand, insisting that it is of some importance.


Editing

- In the opening of the movie, the combination long takes and few cut transistions create a slow paced, relaxed and calm atmosphere. The very first few clips show the clouds in the sky sped up. This insists the passing of time. In some shots in the opening, a blured effect is used in all four corners of the frame. This gives an indication to the audience that it is a memory.



Sound



- Throughout the whole opening, a soundtrack is played by a harp. The slow pace of the music creates a calm effect. There is hardly any on-screen sound in the clip , however there is an off-screen narration spoken by a male. The only occurance of on-scrren sound is at 01:15 in the bar when there are sounds of background banter and pool balls hitting each other.

Taken


Mise En Scene


When the audience first meet the main male character, he is shown sitting on a couch with a low amount of light used to present him. From analyzing the shadows and lighted areas on his face, we can conclude that the only light used is a very dim key light shon through a filter for control onto the right side of his face and creating a shadow on the wall. There does not appear to be a fill light because the opposite side of his face is dark, and there definitely no back light because there is a wall directly behind him.


Camera Work


The first shots of the movie are filmed from a handheld camera of a girl's birthday. The handheld effect define
the scene to look like a special occasion. The subject in the shots is viewed from a variety of different distances, ranging from medium shot to a big close up. These shots allow the audience to see the facial expressions of the girl when she receives her birthday present.


Some shots later after the character stands up from the couch, the frame is moved onto a big close up of a photograph in a frame. This shot has been specifically used as a indication to the audience that the figure in the photo is of great importance to the man and the plot.

At 02:05, it shows the man wrapping a birthday present. The shot distances used are extreme close ups that show the character wrapping the present with great detail and precision, folding the paper perfectly. This indicates that the relationship the man has with his daughter is special and he puts a lot of care into her gift.

Editing


In the opening of the film, the first few shots taken with a handheld camera, appear to be pixelated and distorted. The editing has disguised this effect to make it look like it is just the quality of the camera and insist it is an older handheld commercial camera. This combination of effects present the clips to be memories to someone we have not yet met. When the memory flashbacks end, the frame flashes to a shot of a man on a couch who suddenly opens his eyes, which backs up the idea that they were his memories.

Sound


In the opening, there is a soundtrack being played by a piano softly, accompanied by a high pitched drone. The music gives a sad and depressing feeling which suits the scene being played simultaneously. During the flashbacks, the audience can hear the echoed laughter of the girl seen in the shot.

There are examples of non-diegetic sounds in the opening. The first being the sounds of cars passing after 01:30. There is also sounds of background chat and music at 02:20. This is well suited to the scene as it is a party.

Layer Cake


Mise En Scene


00:28, the frame shows a man in a leather jacket with a gun and tights over his head. Criminals usually put tights over their heads to disguise their identity. The fact that the man in the frame has tights on his head and a gun backs up the idea that he is a criminal.










At 00:38, the frame shows a bunch of people smoking drugs. The man shown smoking has long hair with a flower in his hair. In the 60's this costume was a common thing to wear for hippies doing drugs. So this combination of looks ensures the audience of their assumption of druggy hippies.















Camera Work


In this opening, the use of slow tracking shots in every clip create a smooth and calm atmosphere, despite the first clip being a robbery of some type. The shot used is a tracking shot and it informs the audience that all of these actions are being performed in the same location at the same time. If a cut had been used in the duration of the scene, it would not have the same end result. The tracking shot used in the ending clip is very effective as it presents the actions and message being shown to the audience. Because the setting shows shelves after shelves or commercial drugs, it insists the character is walking in a world full of drugs.

Editing


Every video transition in the opening is used with a graphic match. This accompanied by the constant use of tracking shots, makes the whole opening look like one take. The first transition is from the crime scene to the smoking hippies scene. The transition is a graphic match from a woman's hair into a hippy man's hair. This effect raises two ideas.The effect shows the difference in types of people at the same time in this era and informs the audiences of the acts taking place. In the end of the opening scene, the main character is walking through a shop full of drugs, the setting is very modern. However seconds later, the modern setting steadily changes into a regular drugs shop of today. This could imply that this is what he imagines in his mind or its what he wants it to be. All the drugs seen at first appear to be made by a fashion designer, this gives a sense that in his mind, it is acceptable and a casual thing for him to be doing.

Sound


There is very little diegetic sound in this opening. In the first shot of the robbery, there are sounds of screaming and shouting. These sounds are in parallel with the video of the robbery. The only sound is a narration by the main character who we see in the drug shop towards the end. This gives an indication to the audience that the footage they are watching is in the past or a possible memory. There is a soundtrack that plays throughout the opening. The genre of it is techno, which could possibly suggest the opening is futuristic.


Pulp Fiction


Mise En Scene


The opening scene shows two characters that seem to be regular people wearing everyday clothes in a diner. The lighting on the sides of their faces nearest to the camera insists that the main lighting is coming from outside and supposed to imitating the sun. Therefore the scene has a more natural feel and feels more realistic.

Camera Work


The main camera shot used is a low angle, fixed,  medium two shot. This shot is ideal as the audience can clearly see the subjects, their movement and even some detail in their facial expressions. However at 00:49, the camera changes to a big close up on the waitresses face when she offers the two main characters more coffee and then changes to a close up of the female main characters face when she replies. This is used to show the audience the expression on her face. It seems to the audience that the woman is innocent by her smile at the waitress.

Editing


In this opening, long shots are used to create a calm atmosphere. The lack of cuts naturally allows the audience to focus on listening to the dialogue. Later on in the scene, the shot/reverse shot technique is put into place more often when the subjects are talking of robbing the diner they are currently in. This brings a sense of tension to the audience of what is about to happen.

Sound


In the duration of the opening, there is no soundtrack until the titles appear.  There is also a very low volume of chatter in the background, on the other hand it is hardly heard over the conversation between the two subjects. The majority of sound is diegetic. This, in cooperation with the other effects, backs up the idea of realism within the scene. At 02:37, a waitress comes into the frame and says 1 line. Although, the camera never moves to see her face. This is an example of off-screen sound.




Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen


Mise En Scene

In the first few clips of this opening, people are standing on hill tops. The lighting is very bright to imitate the sun, which is then used to create a silhouette effect on the characters. This quickly generates questions of who they are and what they are doing. Although we cannot see what they are wearing at this time, we can see that they are carrying spears. This narrows down the range of types of people they could be. Either modern day tribal people, or cave people living thousands of years ago. A few clips later the audience see that they are wearing animal skins, this concludes that these people are from a very long time ago.


Camera 



In the first few shots, the camera distance is very far out from the characters with an extreme long shot. The very first shot works as an establishing shot, confirming that the setting is in some mountains. The next two shots are much closer up to the subjects, but still at an extreme long shot distance. The audience can see that there are people on the mountain tops.





At 00:38, a high angled tracking shot is taken from a helicopter that shows the cave people climbing on the mountains looking at an object far away. The frame first shows the characters, then pans up to reveal the object. This clearly insists that the cave people are looking at the object.











Editing


From the start of the opening till about 00:54, all the takes are in slow motion. After, the shots are at a real time shooting pace. The fact that a slower tempo is used at first insists that the cave people's life was much calmer until they were disrupted by the villains. All the video transitions until 00:38 are fade out and out to black. This creates a calmer atmosphere compared to using standard cuts. When the enemy appear, cuts replace the fades and a feeling of danger comes. However, the pace of takes does not seem to change. Usually when danger appear, takes are quicker.

Sound


In this opening, there is no clear diegetic sound or musical soundtrack. There is a beat of tribal drums which is in parallel to the tribal characters and suits the theme. When the enemy are in the frame, sounds of computer generated robotic components are used to accompany their looks. Throughout the duration of the opening, a narration is spoken by a deep male voice. This seems appropriate and fits with the theme.


Thursday 26 January 2012

The Research Task - By Anna Sewell

The Dark Knight - Directed by Christopher Nolan 2008



Camera work

-This sequence begins with an establishing shot of the city, slowly tracking in on one sky scraper. This builds an association that the film is going to be fast moving and action filmed because that is city life. Also, that the following scene will be inside this building.
 -It then cuts to a very slow track in of an unidentifiable man holding a mask. This builds questions to who this man is.
-In the car, a shallow depth of field is used between two characters. The man in the foreground is in perfect focus and the man in the background, blurred. This is to draw attention to only the one character.
-Later on in this sequence, at the very start of the bank robbery a tracking device is used to follow the running characters. A steadicam is used for this camera movement.

Editing

-This sequence at first in filmed in long takes. As the film progresses the takes become quicker. A connotation of the calmness and control of their current situation in the sequence.
-Parrallel editing is used in this clip between a series of characters doing different things. Those zip-wiring across the buildings, the men on the alarm and those in the car scene. It shows that they are all linked together, ordered by the same boss if you like.

Mise en scene

-This sequence is set over 3 settings a sky scraper, a city and inside of a car and the most crucial the bank which connotes wealth. The antagonists are wearing masks which conceal their identity which builds question in the audiences mind.
-The bank heist is filmed in broad daylight which suggests the antagonists are reckless.

Sound

-Non-diegetic sound is used in this sequence to emphasise the sound from the shooting of the guns.
-In every dialogue scene the masked characters are talking about the Joker and the money they hope to have gained by the end of this heist. Everyone watching will be questioning as to who is the Joker? and why is he so important?
-The music is fast paced, frequent beated and full of tension!!


Inception - Directed by Christopher Nolan 2010



Camerawork


-A big close up is used to show the man's face after waking up on the beach. His facial expressions are clearly shown aswell as a little of the ocean which he is lying in. This is confusing to the audience and it's purpose is to make us curious as to why he is lying there.
-An establishing shot is then used to inform us of the setting, which is China.
-A low angle is used between the man and a military Chinese soldier holding a gun. This is almost a point of view shot as we are meant to feel inferior to the 'superior' soldier.
-A close up of a very old Chinese man is used to show his facial expression on the current situation. Being the start of the film there is no way to tell who he is, and why Cobb has been put in front of him. But, from these actions we can tell he is a very important person.

Editing

-Lots of long takes, conveying calmness. As opposed to short takes, which fasten the pace and attitude.
-As he awakes, we hear happy screaming from the two children playing on the beach. This is put into slow motion which represents peace, but could also represent a hallucination he is having or a dream.

Mise en scene

-This short sequence promotes wealth through the security of the soldiers, the soldiers uniform and the props. Also, the exceptionally well-kept chinese mansion with expensive-looking furnishings.
-The quality of the light has a sepia tone to it which is commonly used for in the past scenes, which as you later discover is a very crucial point to the film - when the spinning top is spinning, they're in the dream world, if it falls over they are in  the real world.
-A plot point is used between the very old man, the spinning top and Cobb, which builds an association between the two characters and the object.


Sound

-This sequence begins with breaking waves on a shore, an over-bearing/ violent soundtrack is used here which is very dramatic and conveys power.
-Little dialogue is used which creates suspense and leaves mystery as we don't know who the characters are or what they're like.


Sorority Row - Directed by Stewart Hendler 2009



Camera work

-The production company credit logo is the first thing to appear on screen. They have overlayed tree branches to the logo which is a match on action for the next scene which is a tracking shot down a tree.
-An establishing shot is used next, which informs us as the audience of the setting which is an american mansion. A house-party is taking place.
-A slow-tracking in shot is used which tracks in on the back of the house. A screaming girl runs out of the door which leads us to believe something bad has just happened, when really, a boy from the party has simply taken her shirt. This puts us in suspense until we are told what has actually happened.
-At the prank scene, the characters faces are filmed at a close-up. It's a supposedly a serious scene, so to be able to see the facial expressions clearly is important.
-At the accidental murder scene the characters are filmed at a point of view. As though someone is watching them and seen what's just occured. This adds to the tension of the scene and brings another element of suspense. Who could possibly be there?


Editing

-I could've put this note in the camera work section, but I haven't because usually in this this stoneage we add slow motion effects post-production in editing.  Slow motion is used during the wild party scene, a dramatic effect used to show the control and duration of the party.
-As the sequence gets more serious, the takes are shorter and quicker. Commonly used in crazed, uncontrollable scenes.
-Cross-cutting editing is used. The main characters are dotted around the house, and tracking shots follow them until they eventually all meet in one of the girls bedrooms for shots and their sorority chant.

Mise en scene

-The sequence starts off in the dark, empty garden. A track of a spindly tree is used and tracks into a girl screaming. Inside of the party the house is warmly lit and happy.
-A cut to a lonely woman in a dark, dull, kitchen is next. This contrasts with the wild party scene next door.
-Flashing lights are used on dancing people, this distorts the moving image and gives off a spooky, thrilling effect.
-When one person are on their own dark and dull lighting is used, even if it's only a very short while. When there is two or more people together the lighting has a warm and happy glow to it. Until the accidental murder.
-In the car, the lighting is dark and lonely, even though they are all together...
-As they arrive at the dark, desolate area point of view shots from behind a cross and a chain and hook. Showing how dangerous this area is and could be a representation of death.





Sound
-The scene starts in the garden and we can hear the wind brustling the trees, crickets and a few birds. All of these have been put in post-production to emphasise the sounds including an eerie backing track.
-A few moments later we hear a smash and a screaming girl running out of the back door. This is diegetic - even though most of the sound effects have been added post-production it gives the effect of originality.
-Inside the crazy party scene supposedly diegetic music is playing loud. Which is under scrutiny because in the slow motioned scenes the music is slightly muffled giving off the effect of distortion - perfect for a thriller opening.
-Dialogue is sparingly used until the serious scenes - the prank and the accidental murder, which have to have a lot of dialogue to make sense.


Casino Royale - Directed by Martin Campbell 2006


Camera work

-This 3 minute  short sequence begins with an establishing shot of
an upmarket tower block, which informs us of the setting. 

-The man gets out of the car and a low angle is used to frame him in a close up. The low angle conveys superiority and makes us as the audience feel inferior to him, and from the music we can tell he is up to  no good so to see his facial expression is important.
-Another establishing shot is used inside the building. When the room is empty and he walks through the door. Informing us before he is in there, where the next settting will be. An ellipses is used from when he is walking on the platform to when he is walking through the door into the room. 
-A shallow depth of field is used in threatening gun scene. We as the audience can tell who is the subject and what he is holding. This leaves no mystery as we can see who the source of the threatening behaviour is.
Editing

 
-Along with the establishing shot the producers have included a caption. Informing us of the exact
location 'Prague
Czech Republic'
-The pace of the cuts are slow until any dramatic action scenes take place. With fast cuts we can see both the source and the victim aswell as the action. The producers could have used a two shot instead of flicking back and forth, but this way it is far more effective with the effect of panic and pace. The pace of the cuts is according to the pace of the film. 

Mise en scene

-The whole sequence is in mono, however, different exposures are used. In the memory of his, the exposure is bright, in the real world a darker, duller mono tone is used. This seperates the two so we don't get confused.
- Being the start of the film we have no idea who the characters are or what they've done. This  leaves the audience questioning  and gives an element of mystery as the killing of the alleged bad one is very near the beginning.

Sound


-The sound effects like the car door opening and closing, the lift going up and the walking across the platform are supposedly diegetic sounds. However, they are non-diegetic and have been emphasied in the editing suite for dramatic purposes.
-In film, whether we see the source of a gun fire or not is extremely crucial. It's purpose if we don't see it is to give mystery throughout the film until we see the culprit. In this case, however, we do see the source. Both times. This doesn't leave mystery, but instead leaves us as the audience asking why he did what he did.


Jaws - Steven Spielberg 1975


Camera work

-A tracking shot is used to follow Chrissie into the water. It's a side tracking shot, and filmed on a dolly which doesn't appear to be on tracks.
-When Chrissie is swimming in the water a point of view shot is used from the underneath of her under the water. Whenever anyone is swimming there is always a fear as to what is underneath of you. This is therefore an obvious shot to create a build up of fear and worry.  

Editing

-The cuts are long which builds suspense. Spielberg has left the music to do most of the work.

Mise en scene



-The lighting seems to be all natural at sunset. However, artifical lighting has most definately been used. There are 4 reasons why we use lighting, and the reasons in this case are to illuminate and set the mood. Which at first is happy and playful but turns solemn quickly.

Sound

-As the shark approaches the surface, two notes are alternately played. One of the most famous sound tracks in film. They rise in tempo building suspense with every note as we know what's about to happen.
-The screams of the Chrissie are supposedly diegetic screams, however, they have most likely edited them in post-production to emphasise the sound for dramatic purposes making them non-diegetic.

Wednesday 25 January 2012


Lighting Exercise - Homework 6


For this photo, we used a sitting down model with two lights. One to the models right at head level which was used as the key light and one behind him at a higher level pointing down used as the back light. One difficulty we did experience was that the lights of that location were on and therefore did not give us the darker effect shown in the preview.


This photo was acheived by using two models. We used both lights provided, one at a high level presenting the left model. This light illuminated her forehead and nose and left the rest of her face as a shadow. The light for the right model was placed at a very low angle directed to the right side of the model's face, leaving the left side shadowed. One difficulty we experienced in creating this re-enactment was the size difference between these two models, which made it challenging to get the framing correct.

By Josh and Anna

Tuesday 24 January 2012

Reaserch task by Dan Sheridan

For my five Thriller films i have chosen the following:
As some of these clips were difficult to find on youtube, I already had Hide And Seek, The Hurt Locker and The Perfect Getaway on DVD, so i decided to buy Lakeview Terrace and The Butterfly Effect on DVD as well to make it easier for myself instead of having differant formats.

 i only have mobile internet out of college and i only have 3mb of it, i cannot upload the clips and screen grabs for these films from home this weekend, so i am bringing the DVD's in next monday (30th of january 2012) i will be doing the screen grabs then.




Opening sequence 1 - The Hurt Locker: 
           Why does this work as an opening?: This works because in this sequence we learn  about the history of the unit so that the storyline later on will be easier to understand, we also learn who the members of the unit are. During this scene, we see what the unit does and what the dangers are of their job. we also get the information of where they are and who they are. The audience gets tension and drama in this opening which keeps them interested and wanting to carry on watching.
  • Camera work: Throughout this first scene we get to see the landscape on which this film is set, in this particular case it is set in a desolate and dry town in Baghdad. we start off by seeing a fade in from black shot to a POV shot from the robot, this gives us a inside look on one part of the equipment that they use. A lot of the time in this scene the camera is shaky as if filmed with a hand held camera, this the audience can connect with an adds a sense of drama and a tense feeling, this helps keeps the mood of it being a hectic environment. short clips help add to the effect of it being hectic, mixed with the POV shots, and all the others (such as LS and ELS so we can see the location, CU and ECU so we can get more detail). at the end of this sequence there is a slow motion shot as well as a repeated shot. then we see ECU of the stones of the ground, the rust of the car and the bomb teach getting hit by the force of the explosion.
  • Sound: To start with when it is a black screen and the quote is on, we can hear Afghani voices which is another that will help determine the location of the setting. throughout the scene there is a tense tone and a heartbeat sound this will again add tension and in a way add the message of it being a heart stopping / worrying time. we can hear by the soldiers voice that they are american army. they use military language for example when the finally see the bomb they say "Thats a nice 155"  most people wouldn't know what this means but it does add to the illusion that they are real soldiers and not actors. when they are talking on the radios we can quite clearly hear it from the other person over the radio, this may have been done by actually being said off screen down a walkie talkie but also could've been done with a audio overlay, either way its convincing that it is a walkie talkie. when we see Eldrige see the man with the phone a tense tone with little instruments are used to create a tense sound that is not too complicated.
  • Editing: At the very start on the black screen before it fades in, there is a quote that says "the rush of battle is often a potent and lethal addiction, for war is a drug"  then this text fades out except for the words war is a drug this highlights that it is an important quote about understanding one of the reasons why the soldiers do this. when we see the robots POV we see it as the soldiers do like a TV screen, it has lines going horizontally across the screen and has interference , these again add the effect of it being a camera. The takes are short to medium length to add to the effect of the scene being dangerous and tense, this makes it more interesting to watch and creates slight  confusion that is needed to show that this opening is busy, after a while the takes get longer as the scene is calmer and more controlled.
  • Mise en scene: The costumes - This is a dead give away that we are in a foreign country, the women are in Burke and the men are in the dress like cloths that they wear. The soldiers are in american army uniform this is an indication that the american army is who we are watching. They are also dressed the part with the full bomb techs suit as well as the bomb disposal badge on their uniform. The setting - this is a deserted, dry and hot place, we can see this by the ground having no grass, it being dusty in the wind and we can hear the sound of dry rocks as everything moves. we also get this backed up by the text and the costumes of he locals. The lighting - this is a very bright location and it is set all outside, possible external lighting sources have been used to help add the bright effect and to minimise shadows that are not needed. Body language and movement - the main characters are being portrayed as soldiers so it is vital they move and act like soldiers. 





Opening sequence 2 - The Perfect Getaway:
           Why does this work as an opening?: This works so well as an opening as it lulls them into a false sense of security, this then seems as if the nice nature of this opening means that they are an ordinary couple on their honeymoon, the characters then seem innocent and we can see that they are happy and having fun, this then makes the audience think what's going to happen to them and who is it going to be.
  • Camera work: To start off the opening scene, we can see a video from a video camera, we can tell that this is a video camera by the way it is layed out, with the record sign and the time as well as the batery indicator. It starts of being at a wedding then it goes to the couple in a car on their honeymoon, after this it alter between the two. finally the camera switches to being behind them and in the car when the trees hit her foot, this is a sudden shock which is why it is a good way to swap the shots over. There is also a POV from when their in the helicopter. The video camera is always in the front of the car but when it switches to the film camera its at the back of the car. In a way when the camera is at the back of the car, it is a S/RS as we have it crossing over to see the other persons face as well as being OTSS.  We get a shot of some of the beautiful scenery from a helicopter camera, as the characters are in a helicopter in the same time, we are meant to believe its what they are seeing.
  • Sound: On the video camera there is a sound bridge of them telling a story to start when their on the screen but when the shot goes back over to the wedding he is still telling the story. When they are in the helicopter we can clearly hear they are talking over the microphones by the slightly muffled and the digital sound of their voice. When it changes pace to a slower more gentle time when their driving past in their car, the song playing in the background sinngs "its just anther day in paradise", this is a good way to reassure the audience that they are happy and all is good with them and they are not the killers. Were now believing that they are just a nice normal couple on their honeymoon.
  • Editing: To start with, when the clips from the wedding are playing there is a cut to black, this is when the first of the titles come up, after that they come up every now and then on top of the footage. this whole scene is slow paced takes so that it seems as peaceful as they are trying to make it. there is a cut and a quick take when the tree hits her feet other than that its all a medium length take. the clips have been edited together as if they are really on their honeymoon, 
  • Mise en scene: The costumes - there wearing a short sleeve shirt and shorts, as well as everyone else that we see are wearing Hawaiian shirts and hot weather cloths, this will indicate to the audience that the weather is hot and lovely. The Décor - When we see inside the shack shop, this is made of wood and straw, its designed to keep the heat off and out of it, its all bright happy colours. Body language and movement - When we finally see them out of the car they are very lovely to each other and she walks up to him  and hugs him, this reinforces what their relationship is like and that they are deeply in love, again this will stop any suspicion that they are the killers.  




Opening sequence 3 - Lakeview Terrace:
           Why does this work as an opening?: the opening hear we can see the location of the terrace that the film is set on, we can see that it is a quiet neighbour hood and that it is in a high class area. But the quietness isnt right for a place like this so the audience can tell that something about this place is not right. the audience is made to want to carry on watching as we don't learn allot in this introduction so that it draws them in.

  • Camera work: At the very beginning there inst much movement in the camera, there are ELS of the terrace form a high angle, this allows the audience to clearly see the setting and can tell that its a nice quite clean neighbourhood. From these ELS we can also see what type of terrace it is which in this case it is an upper class area. When we finally see the character, we see him from a high angle LS this shows that at this point he isn't in a verry powerful position and also portrays a sense of loneliness in him. As the children leave the house the camera is in front of them and they are walking towards it. the camera is on a dolly as it is moving backwards at the same speed as they are walking, this keeps them in short and keeps to the long takes to make it a slow opening scene.
  • Sound: To start with there is a slow music track being played, this track hast got very high notes in, this makes it seem sad and lonely, which goes with the terrace as its quiet. In the background of the music track there is a news report of a forest fire but it isn't loud enough for the audience to clearly hear what is happening. when we finally see the character we can see that the news report is coming from a radio, his radio to be exact and we see him switch it off. Throughout the opening scene there is a slow and sad track of music playing in the background, this again like the high angle LS portrays the loneliness of him.
  • Editing: There are long takes throughout the opening sequence, this takes away and idea of there being any action or anything fast going on. the shots are slow and steady this brings on the element of loneliness again which him being a single farther he is. The titles are the beginning are in the black section when the ELS of the terrace has cut out to black the titles appear then it cuts from black to the next view of the terrace. this is peaceful and is calming to the audience and is telling them that there isn't anything exciting going on at this point.
  • Mise en scene: Costumes - The main character is in the same cloths for all of the opening scene. as we see him laying on his bed on the first take, we presume that these are his PJs, his children are the stereotypical children, the teen girl is wearing a mini skirt and a tight top with allot of make up just like all teen girls are portrayed. Whereas the younger boy is wearing a basketball (sports) top, boys stereotypically love sports and always wear them. Lighting - at the beginning of the film there is a very low light as it is morning. as this is ELS it looks as if natural lighting was used other then what is coming from the houses and the street lamps. Again it portrays a sense of loneliness as mornings is when everyone's in bed and just waking up so know one is around. When we are inside the house though and in the main characters room, there is light coming from a visible window. This was probably helped by the use of external lighting just to make it more realistic for the film. In the same shot, there is light coming from a window which is not visible, this light is being projected onto the bed. this was most likely done with external lights again but these were probably inside the room as well. This lighting helps set the time of the day into the room, it is very low and orangey just as it would be if the sun was coming up at the time of the day that the film is portraying.




Opening sequence 4 - The Butterfly Effect:
           Why does this work as an opening?: This is a nerve racking opening scene. The audience discovers a little bit of the characters history, we can see by the way he acts as the child that something is not right with him and that he is the hook. As we only see a little information about the character but what we see is intense, we as the audience want to keep watching it to see what happens. It draws the audience in by keeping the main plot and the truth a mystery but inst boring.
  • Camera work: Starts off an a tripod and pans round, starts off facing one wall as the character walks round we follow it, For the hole time he is in the office at the beginning the camera is in a fixed position that doesn't move other then panning tilting and zooming. this keeps the audience knowing where they are so instead of concentrating on the location they are more concentrating on the character which is the most important part of this shot, this way with full concentration they can connect with him easier. After he has written the letter we just see him finishing the end of it wit an ECU, hen we see him write save her, at which point the camera zooms in in on these two words, this highlights to the audience that there is someone he wants to save but also raises the question of who and how.
  • Sound: When he is sneaking up to the office door from the outside, the music is tense and slow. When he kicks the door open the thud of the kick starts the music off which gets fast paced showing that he is rushing and there is threat or danger. This pace change tells the audience that something is happening and someone knows that he is there and they are looking for him, it also induces a slight sense of panic. As he is writing the letter he is saying what he is writing at the same time, this allows the audience to know what he is writing as well as letting us see that is is him writing it.
  • Editing: Starts off with one take until he closes the door, then after that the takes are short until the end of the scene before. The titles the length of a take can help with understanding the scene better, as these are medium length takes it means that there is a sense of rush but he also needs concentration, this tells the audience that he is trying to do something and has a plan and is keeping calm in a hectic scene. The title sequence uses a graphic match after it goes blurry when it zooms in on save her, it starts to become more in focus as we see something fluttering as it becomes clearer we can tell these are butterfly's and they are flapping around the title. These butterfly's then form into one as an outline of a head appears, these butterfly s then match and merge with a brain scan which indicates to the audience that the character or the problem has something to do with his brain but still not telling us what it is.
  • Mise en scene:Costumes - The mum is wearing overalls whilst she is working on the car engine, this is stereotypically incorrect and is challenging the role of a stereotypical women. this tells the audience that she is an independent woman that can do everything for herself. Settings - When the main character is a child, we see him playing on the front lawn with his dog. we get a glimpse of his house, the garden and part of the road. The audience can deduce from this that they are an upper-class family and are well off. Lighting - again when he is a child and is playing it is a bright sunny day, there was probably some external lighting so they could control where the shadows were being cast, this helps set the mood for the scene. even small shadows help set the scene, They tell the audience how high the sun is in the sky by their location and the size. the rest of the scene is brightly lit as well so if external lighting was used it was only for the shadows. 


Opening sequence 5 - Hide And Seek:
           Why does this work as an opening?: We see what happens in the film to make this family they way they are throughout the main storyline, we see who they are and we can tell that they are a nice family that are happy. These reasons will all help build up the tension, and questions such as what will happen to them? why this is happening to them? and who is it going to be? these questions keep the audience wanting to know more, wanting to know the answer and makes them keep watching to uncover the truth.
  • Camera work: First scene starts of as an ECU of the little girls eyes, the switches to an ECU of her hand grasping a metal pole, before again switching but this time to an BCU of her face with a big smile on it, this will help the audience to emotionally connect with he character and it calms their nervous seeing her happy this is good so then when something bad happens its even a bigger impact because of the connection already established with the daughter. After we see the farther find the mother dead in the bath he jumps in to hug her, we see an OTSS of him picking her head up from the water, her head is pointing directly at the camera and she is in a CU distance away from the camera, using this view we can almost feel what the farther is feeling and see almost his view as well as still being able to see how he reacts with his body language to this. As she is taking a pill with a glass of wine, we are at a LS, in the shot we can clearly see what she is doing but in the corner there is a picture frame, in this picture frame there is a reflection of her doing the exact same action just from a closer perspective.
  • Sound:  As the little girl is being sun on the round about, there is almost a disturbed and mysterious piece of music playing in the background, this adds a bit of nervousness to the scene and a bit of a chill. At first in that scene when she is  being spun on the round about, she is at a playground but all the other children's voices and sounds from around are muffled and lowered to an almost silence, until we hear the mother speaking to the daughter, this the audience can see that it means there is a special connection there ans as we Haven't met the characters untill hear we can instantly tell heir relationship.
  • Editing: There are allot of short takes, this helps us grasp the sense of happiness in the family and they can find it easier to see the expressions and connection of the characters when they are together. it also helps to understand the characters feelings when they are on their own as we can see their facial expressions more clearly. When the mother is found dead in the bath, as he opens the door to the bath when he gets to half way it goes into slow motion, this makes the effect more dramatic and as we Haven't see what has happened the audience can tell that something bad has happened.
  • Mise en scene: Costumes - we can tell that the mother is an upper class lady as she is wearing a nice dress and cloths that are for a more formal occasion but as she is wearing them down at the park with her child we can deduct that she is an upper class women who can afford these cloths everyday. Setting - in the first location we can tell its cold but not just by the costumes, for starters there are no leaves on the tree, an indication of it being in a cold month or a cold country. Secondly,  the grass isnt very green and has allot of brown spots meaning there hasn't been much sun, again that could be due to a cold season. this helps the audience to feel as if they no some more about how the characters are feeling. Décor - when we see the daughters room there are toys and books on a shelf against a wall, the room is clean and tidy, there is a teddy bear and a porcelain doll on the bed side table. All these things are stereotypically a girls room. this helps the audience to see what kind of girl she is and what she likes to play with and that she likes to read and has a good imagination.