We created a remake of the hallway scene in the horror film 'The Shining' to help us develop ideas and a wider knowledge of the genre we had chosen. From remaking this scene I have gained skills and understood more about the genre itself.
I learnt that specific timings are vital in the making of a horror film, for example if one scene was off time it would confuse the audience by skipping key parts of the film. This is where a shot list comes in handy. I also learnt how to create a shot list which included costumes, timings, characters etc.
Our horror remake video can be seen on the group blog.
Friday 20 November 2009
Friday 13 November 2009
Preliminary Task Evaluation
I feel my piece of film demonstrates continuity well because it does not show the characters in different positions throughout the film. An example of continuity in my film is the moment where the wallet is being passed from one character to the other. It begins with Matt standing up with the wallet, about to pass it. Ending with Matt’s hand in the same position with the wallet, this is then passed to Tom. This cutaway shot flows smoothly from the shot reverse shot and then back again, without any break in the action. Another example is when Tom is leaving and is about to smack Matt on the back. A few seconds later, we’re looking at Matt, with Tom in the same position smacking Matt’s back.
Although we did not demonstrate match on action, we demonstrated shot reverse shot and the 180-degree rule. An example of where we used shot reverse shot is where Matt and Tom begin to talk after Matt has sat down. These editing techniques are helpful because, for example, shot reverse shot shows the reaction of both characters in a scene or moment after something has been said. Also the 180-degree rule is a useful technique because it gives the audience an idea of where the characters are and do not confuse them by changing it every time someone talks.
I feel my group worked well together because each person in the group had an opinion and input into the filming, editing, music choices and everything included. Although we did have troubles filming etc because of differences of how it should be done. They were easily resolved soon after.
If I were to film the piece again, I would improve on the camera angles. Some of the shots were far too close. I would also make sure it is filmed in a quieter environment as there was a lot of sound pollution in the background. Other than those things, I would not change the film.
I feel the planning that went into the film could be improved because we did not choose specifically where to put the cameras, nor did we plan how to film the piece. The planning into where the piece was filmed could also be improved also, as it was quite noisy; there were many distractions and background noise throughout the clip.
The transitions within our piece included Matt moving from the door to the chair at the very beginning. Also the chair moving away and back to the table. The wallet being moved from Matt to Tom was a key transition we used, which we decided to do a close up of. This showed the audience what was being passed, and it gave a hint as to what was to come. Finally, when Tom goes to leave, he gets up and walks away. On the editing software, we used the transitions of ‘fading in’ and ‘fading out’.
From using the editing software, I have learnt that whilst using the particular software, you can change your product completely. I learnt how to cut scenes, so they were shorter, or deleted a piece of clip that you didn’t particularly like. I learnt how to add transitions to make the film seem more interesting; I also learnt how to make sure the continuity of the piece flowed smoothly. I learnt how to add music to a piece, to add suspense, comedy etc. To begin with I did not fully understand the editing software, but soon enough I figured it all out.
From the process of constructing this film, I have learnt about the camera’s I used, and the editing software I used also. Whilst using the camera’s in this project, problems were encountered, such as the camera taking a while to load and record or stop recording. Following this, I had to re-film the piece many times. Also, when trying to load the videos from one camera we used the first time round, I encountered a problem where the camera was not being recognised, nor was Adobe Premiere letting us upload the video when recognised. I have learnt from Adobe Premiere how to use transitions, cropping clips and how to add music. Although, again, problems rose, such as the program freezing when saving, or freezing whilst trying to edit.
Although we did not demonstrate match on action, we demonstrated shot reverse shot and the 180-degree rule. An example of where we used shot reverse shot is where Matt and Tom begin to talk after Matt has sat down. These editing techniques are helpful because, for example, shot reverse shot shows the reaction of both characters in a scene or moment after something has been said. Also the 180-degree rule is a useful technique because it gives the audience an idea of where the characters are and do not confuse them by changing it every time someone talks.
I feel my group worked well together because each person in the group had an opinion and input into the filming, editing, music choices and everything included. Although we did have troubles filming etc because of differences of how it should be done. They were easily resolved soon after.
If I were to film the piece again, I would improve on the camera angles. Some of the shots were far too close. I would also make sure it is filmed in a quieter environment as there was a lot of sound pollution in the background. Other than those things, I would not change the film.
I feel the planning that went into the film could be improved because we did not choose specifically where to put the cameras, nor did we plan how to film the piece. The planning into where the piece was filmed could also be improved also, as it was quite noisy; there were many distractions and background noise throughout the clip.
The transitions within our piece included Matt moving from the door to the chair at the very beginning. Also the chair moving away and back to the table. The wallet being moved from Matt to Tom was a key transition we used, which we decided to do a close up of. This showed the audience what was being passed, and it gave a hint as to what was to come. Finally, when Tom goes to leave, he gets up and walks away. On the editing software, we used the transitions of ‘fading in’ and ‘fading out’.
From using the editing software, I have learnt that whilst using the particular software, you can change your product completely. I learnt how to cut scenes, so they were shorter, or deleted a piece of clip that you didn’t particularly like. I learnt how to add transitions to make the film seem more interesting; I also learnt how to make sure the continuity of the piece flowed smoothly. I learnt how to add music to a piece, to add suspense, comedy etc. To begin with I did not fully understand the editing software, but soon enough I figured it all out.
From the process of constructing this film, I have learnt about the camera’s I used, and the editing software I used also. Whilst using the camera’s in this project, problems were encountered, such as the camera taking a while to load and record or stop recording. Following this, I had to re-film the piece many times. Also, when trying to load the videos from one camera we used the first time round, I encountered a problem where the camera was not being recognised, nor was Adobe Premiere letting us upload the video when recognised. I have learnt from Adobe Premiere how to use transitions, cropping clips and how to add music. Although, again, problems rose, such as the program freezing when saving, or freezing whilst trying to edit.
Friday 6 November 2009
Analysis of Opening scene of The Shining.
This clip is the opening scene of the film The Shining which was released in 1980; it was directed by Stanley Kubrick.
The sound in the opening scene of The Shining is a slow moving, low pitched extra diegetic sound. No dialogue is included in the first scene of the film, this has an impact on the viewer, because they do not, as of yet, really understand what is going on. Only the image in their mind can be enough for them at this stage. The impact of the extra diegetic sound increases the impact of the director not adding any dialogue, because it adds the tension on top of the scene.
The lighting throughout the clip is naturalistic and is generated straight through the sun, it seems as though it is an early morning sun, this makes the whole scene seem soft and cosy. The slight mist throughout the clip makes the lighting seem even more natural, it also makes the scene seem more realistic to the audience. The impact of this lighting could make the audience unaware of what may happen. It may also confuse them due to the mixture of sound and lighting, the soft lighting and low pitched sound are not expected together as the sound does not seem natural in the scene.
The main camera angle used throughout the clip is an establishing shot, which is a wide tracking shot. The camera tracks the road/car all through the clip, which shows to the audience that this particular car and/or road are of high importance at the very beginning of the film. The impact of this shot used throughout the opening scene, is it creates suspense because the audience are still hidden from what could really happen in the next few moments of the film.
The setting of the opening scene is very realistic and looks like a real location. It is set in the mountain tops, or maybe even the countryside near a very large lake. It gives the whole scene suspense because the audience may not necessarily have any idea where it could be, or what is due to happen after the tracking of the car/road. Again, this setting does not particularly match the sound used, as the scene is very natural and realistic, whereas the sound included is very low pitched and extra diegetic. This creates suspense due to the whole scene being quite odd and unusual.
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