We will use a specific order for the credits within the opening sequence. It has to be correct, otherwise certain people will look to be more important than others. This is almost a hierarchy for credit order.
Order of Credits
(Film company name) presents...
A (Producer's name) production...
A (Director's name) film
Main actor's name
Main supporting actor's name
2x other supporting actors
Castin by...
Music by...
Costume Designer...
Editor...
Production Designer...
Director of Photography...
Executive Producer...
Produced by...
Story by...
Screenplay by...
Directed by...
FILM NAME
This is according to both my own notes, and the BBC website which can be found here.
Scratch
For 'Scratch', we only plan on using a certain selection of these credit titles, as not all of them are necessary to our film. The titles we won't use are:
2x other supportign actors
Costume Designer
Production Designer
Director of Photography
All the other titles could be combined to suit our needs.
Thursday, 3 December 2009
Wednesday, 2 December 2009
Scratch - Basic Story Plan
My thriller opening combines both present footage and flashbacks. It is one complete flashback - all in black and white, and it is meant to look like it is being shown on a projector. Between each shot, the credits will be shown in present footage. The film will be called 'Scratch', and each credit will be scratched into some sort of object.
Plan
A man walks into a big building, down a corridor. He walks into a room, sits down at his desk, and writes a letter, saying 'Its done'. He then smashes his wedding photo, which is sat on his desk. As he smashes it, a large bang occurs outside, and he is alerted. He stands up, calls out, and sees nothing. Suddenly the shady figure walks into the room, points a gun at the man, and a large stand-off occurs. Muttering is heard, then a large gunshot. The shot cuts to a man scratching a 5 into a tally chart on a wall.
Plan
A man walks into a big building, down a corridor. He walks into a room, sits down at his desk, and writes a letter, saying 'Its done'. He then smashes his wedding photo, which is sat on his desk. As he smashes it, a large bang occurs outside, and he is alerted. He stands up, calls out, and sees nothing. Suddenly the shady figure walks into the room, points a gun at the man, and a large stand-off occurs. Muttering is heard, then a large gunshot. The shot cuts to a man scratching a 5 into a tally chart on a wall.
Monday, 30 November 2009
Researching Thriller Films - 'Vertigo' (1958)
'Vertigo' (Alfred Hitchcock, 1958)
Dark, shadowy atmosphere - A light, airy appartment - happiness?
Creation of suspense using soundtrack music - Violins in background, horns at action
Morally ambiguous central character - Character who asks Scotty to follow his wife
Murder encouraging a suspecting audience - Man falling from roof?
Realistic settings to create a sense of the 'unusual' occuring within a normal setting - Man still working with ex-fiancee
Flashbacks - Making out that man 'killed' man on roof
Hero in situation of threat or struggle - Flashback - 'saving' the man on the building
Twists and unexpected turns - They were engaged
Other notes - I didn't really like the film, and for that reason, I don't want to use any of the elements in my thriller. It seemed too thoughful to bring any drama to the viewer.
Dark, shadowy atmosphere - A light, airy appartment - happiness?
Creation of suspense using soundtrack music - Violins in background, horns at action
Morally ambiguous central character - Character who asks Scotty to follow his wife
Murder encouraging a suspecting audience - Man falling from roof?
Realistic settings to create a sense of the 'unusual' occuring within a normal setting - Man still working with ex-fiancee
Flashbacks - Making out that man 'killed' man on roof
Hero in situation of threat or struggle - Flashback - 'saving' the man on the building
Twists and unexpected turns - They were engaged
Other notes - I didn't really like the film, and for that reason, I don't want to use any of the elements in my thriller. It seemed too thoughful to bring any drama to the viewer.
Researching Thriller Films - 'The Talented Mr Ripley' (1999)
'The Talented Mr Ripley' (Anthony Minghella, 1999)
A build up to the action - Massive fade in at the start
Creation of fear/apprehension/anticipation/unsettling feeling/confusion/doubt over a character - Keeps changing his name
Delay in showing the face of a significant character - Didn't show characters faces for a certain period
Creation of suspense using soundtrack music - Piano and singing - very slow
Morally ambiguous central character - Name change
Realistic settings to create a sense of the 'unusual' occuring within a normal setting - New York's jazz clubs
Flashbacks - Flashbacks to when he was younger
Other notes - I'm going to try and incorporate some of these elements into my thriller, as I think that the use of delaying showing the face of a character really added to the drama of the film. The choice of soundtrack is also something I may try and use, as I felt it really complimented the film well.
A build up to the action - Massive fade in at the start
Creation of fear/apprehension/anticipation/unsettling feeling/confusion/doubt over a character - Keeps changing his name
Delay in showing the face of a significant character - Didn't show characters faces for a certain period
Creation of suspense using soundtrack music - Piano and singing - very slow
Morally ambiguous central character - Name change
Realistic settings to create a sense of the 'unusual' occuring within a normal setting - New York's jazz clubs
Flashbacks - Flashbacks to when he was younger
Other notes - I'm going to try and incorporate some of these elements into my thriller, as I think that the use of delaying showing the face of a character really added to the drama of the film. The choice of soundtrack is also something I may try and use, as I felt it really complimented the film well.
Researching Thriller Films - Forms and Conventions of a Thriller
Examples
- 'The Hitchhiker' (Ida Lupino, 1953)
- 'Vertigo' (Alfred Hitchcock, 1958)
- 'Psycho' (Alfred Hitchcock, 1960)
- 'Blue Steel' (Katheryn Bigelow, 1991)
- 'The Vanishing' (George Sluizer, 1993)
- 'Se7en' (David Fincher, 1995)
- 'The Usual Suspects' (Bryan Singer, 1995)
- 'Face/Off' (John Woo, 1996)
- 'Mimic' (Guillermo Del Toro, 1997)
- 'Sixth Sense' (M. Night Shyamalan, 1999)
- 'The Talented Mr Ripley' (Anthony Minghella, 1999)
- 'What Lies Beneath' (Robert Zemeckis, 2000)
- 'Phone Booth' (Joel Schumacher, 2002)
- 'One Hour Photo' (Mark Romanek, 2002)
What are the forms and conventions of a thriller?
- A build up to the action
- Creation of fear/apprehension/anticipation/unsettling feeling/confusion/doubt over a character
- Dark, shadowy atmosphere (use of light and dark images)
- Establishing mood and atmosphere throughout the film
- Delay in showing the face of a significant character, or the acion of an important event by first showing the hand of a character for instance or a reaction of someone watching the event
- Creation of suspense using soundtrack music
- Morally ambiguous central character (e.g. film noir - 'Se7en')
- Murder encouraging a suspecting audience
- Realistic settings to create a sense of the 'unusual' occuring within a normal setting
- Flashbacks
- Hero in situation of threat or struggle
- Red herrings (e.g. Hitchcock films)
- Twists and unexpected turns
- Making and keeping the audience tense and on the edge of our seats
Preliminary Task - Storyboarding Terminology
CLOSE-UP SHOT - a close rangle of distance between the camera and the subject
DISSOLVE - a transition between two shots, where one shot fades away and simultaneously another shot fades in
FADE - a transition from a shot to black where the image gradually becomes darker is a fade out; from black where the image gradually becomes brighter is a fade in
HIGH CAMERA ANGLE - a camera angle which looks down on its subject making it look small, weak or unimportant
JUMP CUT - a rapid, jerky transition from one frame to the next, either disrupting the flow of time or movement within a scene or making an abrupt transition from one scene to another
LEVEL CAMERA ANGLE - a camera angle which is even with the subject; it may be used as a neutral shot
LONG SHOT - a long range of distance between the camera and the subject, often providing a broader range of the setting
LOW CAMERA ANGLE - a camera angle which looks up at its subject; it makes the subject seem important and powerful
PAN - a steady, sweeping movement from one point in a scene to another
POINT-OF-VIEW SHOT - a shot which is understood to be seen from the point of view of a character within the scene
REACTION SHOT - either a shot of someone looking off screen or as a shot of someone in a conversation where they are not given a line of dialogue but are just listening to the other person speak
TILT - using a camera on a tripod, the camera moves up or down to follow the action
ZOOM - use of the camera lens to move closely towards the subject
DISSOLVE - a transition between two shots, where one shot fades away and simultaneously another shot fades in
FADE - a transition from a shot to black where the image gradually becomes darker is a fade out; from black where the image gradually becomes brighter is a fade in
HIGH CAMERA ANGLE - a camera angle which looks down on its subject making it look small, weak or unimportant
JUMP CUT - a rapid, jerky transition from one frame to the next, either disrupting the flow of time or movement within a scene or making an abrupt transition from one scene to another
LEVEL CAMERA ANGLE - a camera angle which is even with the subject; it may be used as a neutral shot
LONG SHOT - a long range of distance between the camera and the subject, often providing a broader range of the setting
LOW CAMERA ANGLE - a camera angle which looks up at its subject; it makes the subject seem important and powerful
PAN - a steady, sweeping movement from one point in a scene to another
POINT-OF-VIEW SHOT - a shot which is understood to be seen from the point of view of a character within the scene
REACTION SHOT - either a shot of someone looking off screen or as a shot of someone in a conversation where they are not given a line of dialogue but are just listening to the other person speak
TILT - using a camera on a tripod, the camera moves up or down to follow the action
ZOOM - use of the camera lens to move closely towards the subject
Preliminary Task - Storyboarding
What is a storyboard?
Once a concept/script is written, a storyboard is then made. It visually tells the story of a specific scene shot by shot, like a comic book.
What goes into a storyboard?
A storyboard should contain:
Creating a storyboard will help you plan your footage shot by shot. Changes can be made to your storyboard prior to filming, and this helps stop your mind from changing later on. You can also talk about your film, and get feedback on your ideas.
How do I make a storyboard?
Storyboards tend to be drawn in pen and pencil. It isn't necessary, however, as you can also take photos, cut out pictures from magazines, or use a computer program to make and develop your storyboards. Your drawings can be simple, as long as they contain enough infomation about the shot. Use basic images, stick figures, and simple backgrounds. You can cut out your shot cards, and rearrange them to create different sections of film.
Once a concept/script is written, a storyboard is then made. It visually tells the story of a specific scene shot by shot, like a comic book.
What goes into a storyboard?
A storyboard should contain:
- What characters are in the frame, and how are they moving?
- What are the characters saying to each other?
- How much time has passed between the last frame of the storyboard and the current one?
- Where is the camera in the scene?
- What sounds can be heard in the frame?
Creating a storyboard will help you plan your footage shot by shot. Changes can be made to your storyboard prior to filming, and this helps stop your mind from changing later on. You can also talk about your film, and get feedback on your ideas.
How do I make a storyboard?
Storyboards tend to be drawn in pen and pencil. It isn't necessary, however, as you can also take photos, cut out pictures from magazines, or use a computer program to make and develop your storyboards. Your drawings can be simple, as long as they contain enough infomation about the shot. Use basic images, stick figures, and simple backgrounds. You can cut out your shot cards, and rearrange them to create different sections of film.
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