ASSESSMENT

Research into similar films- Definitely, Maybe

Camerawork- Cinematographer.

Interior shots

• Extreme close up of letter “William Hayes, New York”- Intro to character and location.
  

  
• Pen clicks – anticipation, he knows he must sign the divorce papers
  

  
•  Medium shot: Frown – unhappy, looking at the package to show anticipation. Tight body language to show annoyance or nerves. Shows his office in a city, which include his work (cereal packs). Also shows his attire (business wear). MASTER SHOT
  

  
• Close up of him picking up the letter.
  

  
• Tilts up to a MCU to capture his expression (frowns etc.). Voiceover of his narration “he is getting divorced”.
  

  

  
  

  
• Reverse shot to extreme close up of the divorce papers. This includes his name again as well as his soon to be ex-wife (William and Sarah Hayes).
  

  
• Slow and minor push in on the ex-wife’s name.
• Sound bridges from the previous title (‘a Working Title’) to the next shot.
  

  
• Medium shot to him reacting to the dialogue. MASTER SHOT
  

  
• Medium close up of colleague. Exciting news shown within the dialogue and her ecstatic expression (large smile and wide eyes).
  

  
• Close up of William with a recognisable false smile, this shows his lack of excitement that may have been shared with his friend (due to the divorce papers).
  

  
• Voice over implies that he doesn’t like his job (in advertising) and doesn’t feel like it’s fulfilling as he is sarcastic about what he does. MASTER SHOT, puts divorce papers back in the package and chucks them to the side in annoyance.
  

  
• Wide shot showing the rest of the office and his getting ready to leave.
• Voice over “Tuesdays and Fridays are my favourite days” –will be one of those two.
  

  

Exterior shots

• Voice over of him introducing his daughter “my daughter, Maya”. He gets out early so he cares less about his job than his family, henceforth the audience warm to him.
  

  
• He walks toward the camera, whilst the camera tracks slowly back. He dominates the frame.
• OSS as he puts his headphones in. Voiceover talks about the “right track for the day”.
• Arcs around the back of William to show him putting in the other headphone.
• MCU whilst speaking about the perfect song and smirking.
• CU of his music player.
• The wrong song plays for his particular mood and then CU to his reaction to it (frowns) but adds comedy. The lyrics make the audience laugh.
• Reverse shot CU back to music player to show him stopping the music before a crude lyric.
• Reverse shot to CU to his face.
• Reverse shot to music player when he allows ‘Everyday people’ to play. A happier more light hearted song to link with his emotions when picking up his daughter.

Editing-Editor

Universal logo- our distributor- 0-20 seconds

Sound bridge over next logo (Working title- 21-32 seconds)- signing for package,

SOUND BRIDGE HELPS TO GET INFORMATION INTO A PART THAT WOULD BE DEAD TIME.

Universal pictures presents- 35-37 seconds- sound bridging of footsteps.

Black screen- Hi will package for you- we know it’s a package and characters name

Visual- slowed down- highlighting impact on the desk- magnification of sound- important to character- divorce papers. 38-40 seconds

New York on the letter- gives location of characters. Name on letter- William Haynes 41 seconds

Introducing character.

42-45- character at desk, if name has been referred character is visually introduced.

Another title is on a black screen. Studio canal- 45-48.

Another bit of dialogue- his talking about his divorce- creates sympathy for character.

Shot of the divorce paper highlights he is getting divorced. 49-54

55-58 seconds. Cut to black screen with a working title production.

1.01- cut again to will responding to other character voice.

1.02-1.05= see the women who was calling Will.

1.06-1.07=cut again to Will reacting to women.

1.08-1.16= another cut to-then again.

1.17-1.20= cut to him putting on his jacket.

1.21-1.25= outside- exterior shot

1.26-1.29= cut again-side on shot

1.30-1.31= cut again

1.32-1.33= Cut again to his hand with a remote in it

1.34= Cut again to his face reacting to wrong music

1.35=-Cut again to his hand again

1.36= Cut again to his head

1.38= Cut again the remote once more.

1.39-1.40-= Cut again- split screen.

1.41-1.47= An Adam brooks film- director

1.48-1.53= Main title appears. Removed by sliding tiles of screen.

1.57= Main actors name appears.

1.58-2.00= Title another actress.

2.01-2.02= Main actress’s name is removed by sliding tile

2.03-2.05= Another name appears-

2.06-2.10= Another name appears- Abigail Breslin

2.11= Name is gone.

2.12-2.13= Elizabeth banks

2.14-.2.15= Another name appears

2.16= Rachel Weisz

2.19= Main actor name finishes

2.20-2.29= Mini scene

2.30-2.36= More names

2.43-2.47= Kevin Corrian

2.48-2.52= More names

2.53-2.56= Casting appears.

2.57= Casting finishes

2.58-3.02= Music supervisor- Nick Angel

3.03-3.06= Music by Clint Marshal

3.07-3.11= Costume designer- Gary Jones

3.12-3.16= Editing by Peter Teschner

3.17-3.21= Production designer.

3.22-3.26= Director of photography

3.29-3.33= Co executive producer.

3.34- 3.37= Executive producer

 
3.39-3.42= Producers. 

3.43= writer and director.

Montage- New York – yellow cabs, Chrysler Building, Grand Central, street signs (51^st street, Madison Av), cops, yellow school bus, Flushing meadows globe.

During the opening of 'Definitely, maybe' I have discovered that lots of titles are shown on screen during various ways. Lots of different shots are placed, such as CU, Tracking etc, between these titles so this creates a sense of anticipation to the audience as they want to know more about the character in general, the audience  become intrigued. This is key in a opening of any film as you need to engage the audience in the first few minutes otherwise they will become bored and perhaps in some cases fall asleep.  A poor opening will make the audience assume the rest of the film may be poor even though they haven't watched it all yet. I think in our main task we could use this idea. As we are filming an opening only we would like to make it as engaging as possible so I think making the audience predict what is going to happen would be a idea. This  idea would create tension and fear for our victim as the audience knows something is going to happen to him/her

I did find sound bridging really interesting, As an editor this is something I will have to learn to do if we want it in our main task. This technique is very weird, in my opinion, as it gives to audience the feeling that they are actually in the same place as the character yet they cannot see a thing. In definitely, maybe. There is a sound bridge over a logo. I think if we use this technique effectively then we may be able create a sense of uncertainty for the audience as they don't know what is going to happen.

Editor & Cinematographer

For our main task I will be taking on the role of the Editor in our group. The Editor is key a member of the production team as they are in charge of putting together and tweaking the shots they receive from the cinematographer. As I am working in a pair with Taylor, I have also taken on the role of cinematographer as well due to a lack of team members. This extra responsibility will mean I will also be in charge of filming our opening. These two roles will mean i will be working closely with the director and producer, which coincidentally, Taylor has taken. Teamwork is essential with these roles, we must make sure that we work together efficiently in order to produce a short opening of good quality

What does a film editor do?

Editing usually takes place once all the filming has been completed, however there are times when certain footage is out of sequence and is given to the editor and different times. This means that they need to know what is going on in the film so they can place certain shots in the right places. As Taylor is the director. We will work together during the editing stage, she will decide, with the aid of my opinion, what are the best shots to use and where she would like them placed.

In a simple term editing is just the rearranging of film to allow the film to make sense as well as cutting out the poor material. However, when editing a film it can be seen in a more complex manor as much more can be done to manipulate the film to see fit i.e. cutting dialogue, re-ordering action in the film etc. I hope that I am able to do the more complex editing on our film. For example if there is a mishap in the filming where the dialogue doesn't fit or action just looks out of place, I hope I will be able to use my editing skills to the best of my ability and fix it.

Titles we be a main aspect of our opening to a film as we want to highlight who has done what etc. I think this will be most challenging as on our preliminary task our titles were very poor/tacky. I hope to upgrade my technique on how to apply titles in the editing stage. I am going to watch videos o YouTube on my spare time to help me with my goal

What does a cinematographer do?
I have also taken on the role of cinematographer. The cinematographer is the one who is responsible for the filming of the film. I will be head of camera and lighting department. A cinematographer is also in charge of creating a visual identity of the film, whether that be action, horror etc. One quality of being a cinematographer is being creative, coming from a performing arts background i feel as though I already have this characteristic.

We won't be having any camera crew with us on the day so I will not be taking charge of any one else. I will work closely with Taylor, the producer/director, as she has the final say in what shots looks good and what do not. I do think that i need to work on my camera skills. Perhaps practicing different shots with the camera on my phone may help me.

As i will be in charge of lighting when we film our main task opening, which we are setting at night. I will need to find some sort of resolution to try and figure out what I will use in poorly lit areas. This is someone I need to consider with Taylor, who is in charge of the whole production.

Preliminary Task- Picture Storyboard

Establishing shot of school cafe- gives audience sense of location

Show boy walking past camera with title 'Over coffee'

Close up- hand on door ready open.sets scene

Medium shot- opening the door.





Tracking shot- tracking boy walk inside the cafe





2 shot- show boy & girl meeting 

Over the shoulder- show girl- during dialogue spoken by the girl

 Over shoulder shot- boy speaking

 Extreme close up- shows time on phone- highlights he's late 

 Tracking shot- boy walking out of cafe.

 Long shot- show boy leaving the school cafe.  

Research into camerawork

Extreme close up shot (ECU)- often used to show character's emotion through the use of facial expression. 

Close up (CU)- close ups are used to emphasise emotional state of character

Medium close up (MCU)-able to capture subject without being uncomfortably close.

Medium shot (MS)- used when dialogue or a small group of people are acting. They show the background and also show the characters emotional expressions in the context of their body language.

Long shot (LS)-often used as an establishing shot. However, it is generally used to show the subject as life size when corresponding to the real distance between the audience and the screen in a cinema.

Extreme long shot (ELS)- Also often used as an establishing shot.

Two shot (2S) - good for expressing a relationship between two people and their conversation. Most commonly used for interviews.

Over the shoulder shot (OSS)-Used during dialogue/ conversations.

High shot (HS) - Often used to show authority.

Low shot (LS) - Often used to show vulnerability.

Canted angle (TILT) - Used to indicate that something isn't right, creates tension.

Main Task- Pitch Feedback

Feedback Analysis

• Establishing the whole the plot into the 2 minute opening- In the feedback it was stated that we might not be able to fit all of our ideas in the set time of 2 minutes. We may have to shorten our ideas and focus on the important parts of the plot. For example our victim being attacked by the gang is very important in the film as it highlights their aggression as a gang, this immediately gives the audience a sense of distress. A shot of our victim walking could be seen as less important as this is not informative to the audience the thoughts and feelings of our victim are. We will need to decide if we want to cut any of the plot or keep it before we start filming, as I am the cinematographer it is paramount that I know what we need to film so I can create the shot list.

• Want to get to know characters-  In the feedback someone said that they was wondering if they would get to know the characters in the film. We would like to use Todorov's equilibrium theory in our film. This where we throw the audience straight into the action to throw them off our plot. Then later on in the plot, towards the end of the opening the audience see a glimpse of justice regaining its status in the film from the police. This

• Organising a big cast to arrive on the same day. In the clip it was stated by someone that we may have trouble with organising a day where the whole cast can make it. We may have to consider shortening our cast to 3 members of a gang and victim. Or some how incorporating them without them being there. Perhaps this could be shown with a close up to a text on a mobile phone. This would highlight that there is communication with other members of the gang however they won't actually be there. This will cut down on the cats members we will need.

• Background noise from our surroundings. Background noise is something that we will need to be wary off as we are filming outside. So background noise from Cars, Wind, People is something we need to take into consideration when determining our location. As we are filming in the evening hopefully there will not be much disruption. If we do come across any background noise we can either re-shoot depending on what scene contains or we can either edit it out. As I am the editor this something I need look into as currently I do not know how to edit out sound, This is something I will need to learn this problem does occur.

• Chases can be extremely comical when done badly. Obviously we do not want our opening to look sloppy so focusing on the quality of the filming is something Taylor and I really would like to focus on. I think we are both very critical when it comes to quality, this is particularly from our performing arts background so this will make sure that our film does not look sloppy. Editing will also play a part in making sure chase scenes do not look sloppy. Things such as cuts between shots need to be slick and fluent, if they look to sharp this may make it look messy and ruin the quality of our opening.

• Focusing on one or multiple characters. As this is just an opening we don't want to focus on multiple characters, we would like mainly focus on the victim and creating a sense of sympathy for them. This will also make it easier for the audience to make a deeper emotional connection with the character (victim). I think if we were to introduce too many characters at once the audience may become confused as to who is who and the opening would be too fast paced. We would like to build the tension up, however still using Todorov's equilibrium, from the very start. We would not be able to achieve this by starting with  very fast pace camerawork trying to insert a glimpse of multiple characters in the opening. So i think for the style of opening w are going for perhaps it's best for us to focus on one character.  

• Filming in dark areas or poorly lit settings. Finally, as we are filming at night we may come across the problem of poorly lit areas. I think to overcome this we need to make sure that we film by lampposts or streets that are lit up. This will mean we have some light source to work with. However i do think minimal lighting will give a sense of eeriness/ uneasiness to the atmosphere the audience will experience. Also by minimal lighting I mean there is obviously enough lighting for our characters to be seen on camera. Also the camera that we are using has a night feature which allows more light to be picked up by the camera so film won't be in complete darkness. 

Influential Films

‘Ghost’ Sam’s death scene – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NpvlS6uBduQ

‘American history x’ bathroom death scene – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5wSSZmdFT8

1 ) How do these two clips portray sympathy effectively?

2) How does the time and location in which the scene is set effect the mood?


3) How does the mise en scene in Sam's death sequence create a fearfulness atmosphere?

‘Attack the Block’ opening – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcxs4EtilHs

‘The Shining’ tricycle scene – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cy7ztJ3NUMI

4) How do these two clips create an atmosphere of uncertainty?

5) How does the music in The Shining make this scene uncomfortable?

6) How are social groups represented in Attack the Block

‘End of Watch’ death scene – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cP6BJaI_Cx4

7) How does this clip create a sense of urgency?