Soviet Montage

Some film-makers have played with this natural desire of the audience to make shots link logically together. Lev Kelshov, a Russian film-maker, in the 1920s experimented by showing a shot of an actor's face followed by a shot of food, followed by the same actor's face again followed by a dead woman, followed by the same shot of the actor's face but this time followed by by a child. Although the expressions of the actor never changed, when asked, the audience said he firstly looked hungry, then sad, then affectionate, as they tried to make the shots link together with some sort of logic. This placing together of images is called Montage. Also known as 'Soviet Montage' as it was a group of Soviet film makers who put forth explanations of what constitutes the montage effect.

Graphic Match/Match Cut

Film makers can choose to place shots in any particular order to create a smooth transition from one frame to another. When two consecutive shots are matched in terms of the way they look this is called a graphic Match/Match Cut. The images doesn't have to be identically the same, however, it can have similar patterns of light and dark colours, or the same positioning of the figures in the shot. The director can choose to present a totally contrasting shot to achieve a different effect. Examples of a graphic Match are shown below:

Preliminary Task Analysis

Analyzing our preliminary task video, I think we completed it very successfully and included all of the aspects that we were briefed to.



Match on Action - We successfully included match on action in the video. It was clearly shown when the character A first ran into the room and also later on when character B exited the room. Also match on action was demonstrated when character B was walking out of the room at the end of the video. There was various other examples of match on action in the video which were carried out successfully and professionally.

180 degree rule - For the duration of the video we made sure we followed the 180 degree rule and that there were no instance where character positioning would seem to change. The characters always maintained the same right/left relationship.

In the video we saw a character walks towards and through a door to get inside a room where a different character was situated. The characters also exchanged dialogue and later on in the sequence a character does also exit the room. This was all stated in the brief and we have successfully followed this guideline.


In conclusion overall in the video we fully followed and understood the brief and made sure it was clear in the video. This preliminary task shows that we can successfully include these elements in a video when needed.

Zodiac

In lesson we watched whilst at the same time analyzing the scene of the film ZODIAC. ZODIAC is a film of the genre THRILLER which uses various forms to convey its genre.

Conventions of a Thriller

• The films begins with tension and uncertainty from both the female and male characters as they meet inside the a vehicle. The suspense that builds with the tension portray something unknown about to happen.
• There is a great build up of suspense when an unknown vehicle approaches then leaves, then comes back to brutally shot them.

Camera

• Shot-reverse shot of the boy and girl engaging in dialogue between one another. 
• Long shot of the unknown vehicle approaching.
• Effective long shot when the two character first met at the beginning of the clip.

Editing

• The shot/scene edits are long in duration however this changes from time to time as the suspense and tension is increased then released.

Sound

• There is radio music in the background throughout the scene.
• The is dialogue between both characters.

Mise-En-Scene

• Guns and blood are both the main gruesome things within the scene.
• Dark lighting and forest surrounding add to the tension and suspense 

Preliminary Task

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Risk Assessment

Risk Assessment Sheet Programme Title: Diamonds & Roses Client: A Level Media Studies Writer: Bradley Williams & Nicolas Orozco Producer: Bradley Williams & Nicolas Orozco Director: Bradley Williams & Nicolas Orozco Date: 20.01.2012

Major Issues: Filming at: We will be filming at Robert Clack leisure centre. This location has a road along the outside of it, which could be a risk to safety as there is the possibility of an accident. Also the equipment could get damaged if not looked after properly. Solutions: We can ensure that we don’t film on the road and we can keep a close eye on our surroundings to make sure we don’t get in any accident. Also we have to keep the equipment safe and secure so that it doesn’t get damaged. We can do this by ensuring that when the equipment is not in use, we keep it in its correct packaging and out of the way of any cars on the road. Contacts Emergency services: On Site Services: Local Police: 999 Local Fire: 999 Local Hospital: 999

Preliminary Video

Shadow of a doubt

Shadow Of A Doubt directed by Alfred Hitchcock



In class we watched and analysed a clip of the film Shadow Of A Doubt. This is one of Alfred Hitchcock's many famous films.

• People dancing 
• The characters are wearing old looking clothes which shows that the film is set in the early 1900s 
• The film is in black and white re-enforces the fact that the film is quite old. 
• The music is also most commonly associated with the 1900s. 
• Hitchcock shows a street, then a building, then a window, and finally a man lying on the bed. With each shot we get closer to seeing the main character. 
• When we see the main character we see money lying around on the floor, which shows he is wealthy but doesn't care too much for the money. 
• He is well dressed and smoking a cigar, so he obviously lives a wealthy life, but he seems to be depressed and lifeless.

Brick

Conventions - Dead body in a stream with a person watching it in distress. It appears to be a flashback of a memory.

Camera - Extreme closeup shot of both characters in scene emphasizing and intensifying the atmosphere of whats happened.

Editing - Editing is very slow, mainly to set the scene of the current circumstances.

Sound - Sound/music is slow with a sad effect which is suddenly interrupted by school bell.

Mise-en-scene - Stream, dead body partly within the stream. Another character watching in the short distance demonstrates his saddness and anxiety over the situation, can't believe what has happened.

Memento

Conventions-Movie is told in an unusual backwards way. Everything is re-winded back, making it an unusual introduction. 

Camera - Main close up shots of face used, black and white scene emphasizing flashbacks.

Editing - The editing is slow, getting fast from time to time. Slow editing is used to let the audience familiarize themselves to whats going on in the scene.

Sound - Saddening music is played in the background from the beginning, then eventually turning into creepy uneven music.

Mise-en-scene - Broken windows, old hotel, damaged and creepy furniture, the beginning starts at an abandoned old ranch/house. Intensifying props are weapons and the photographic camera used. 

Editing

Editing is term which is used to describe the process of looking at all the footage which has been shot during the making of a film placing it in the desired order and actually joining it together. When we are looking at editing in a film there are two areas to concentrate on:


Speed of editing-how long does each shot last? 

When watching a piece of moving film of a certain length, it is visible that it has been joined together at certain appropriate points. Each scene may last a matter of seconds, or it could continue for minutes but the length of each sequence establishes the pace of the film moving action along. The speed of the editing will help determine the mood of what is happening within the scene- if the audience is to feel anxiety and suspense the editing will be quick (frequently changing scene). If a relaxed mood is desired, the scenes last longer ans change less frequently.


Style of editing-How each shot is joined to the next?

In the process of editing a film editor looks at the film footage that has been shot in production and joins shots together to make a continuous piece of film. The editor has various methods of doing this ans they will work in conjunction with the director to decide which to use.

Known methods are:


Straight Cut
Fade-out where the screen fades to black
Dissolve where one image is slowly brought in beneath another one
Wipe cut where one part of the screen moves to wipe across the other
Jump Cut where the audience's attention is brought into focus on something very suddenly

Production Meeting 1

Task 1
Create a spider diagram (on paper or word) of potential Thriller ideas.

Task 2
Take one idea and develop it through a second spider diagram, considering locations, props, camera walk, cast etc.

Task 3
Write a 'proposal' outlining your idea for a Thriller opening and the locations, props, cast etc that I require.

Task 4
Story Board.

Denotation

Denotation - A literal description of an object or concept or idea.

Connotation-What is associated with an object, concept or idea