Production Activity Idea

Fantasy/sci-fi

 

My idea is a person trying to find an alternate world/portal to an alternate world, which could be in the form of a door. This could be shown with news articles/reports saying this person is stupid for looking for this thing that obviously doesn't exist. Then it could show the person in search for this door, showing different ways and places they are searching. At the end of the scene they could find the door, and a bright light coming from it could imply that it is a special place and could be the thing they've been looking for the whole time.

Genre: Fantasy

Major features of the genre:

1. Mythical creatures/beings

2. Other worldly setting

3. Magic

4. Good vs evil

5. Different time settings

Moulin Rouge Table

Mise-en-scene and Setting Evaluation:

Briefly Describe the Setting/Location and the type of activity/ies would usually take place in this setting?	The setting is Paris 1900. And it also flashes back to earlier time periods, such as in a train station. In the flashbacks, there are activities like dancing and everyone is having fun, though in the time it is set it is very dull and you don’t see much happening or many activities. It is also set in the characters room, where the character is writing on a typewriter.
What props have been included in the setting to convey an intended message or describe the activity/ies taking place?	In the room there is a desk, chair, typewriter, candles, clothes, bottles, paper and things all over the floor. These all contribute to the activity, as he is writing. They also show that he is constantly in his room and he doesn’t like to clean up after himself, meaning maybe he is too caught up in the writing.
What does the contrast (light levels, difference between dark or bright areas) indicate about this setting?	The setting is very dark and dull showing that it is gloomy/sad. The flashbacks are bright which creates a cheerful tone.
What type of tones or colours are used within the setting; pleasant, simple, cheery, bleak. (Also consider the lighting).	Dark tones are used in the present scenes in the room and the outside scenes; this creates a gloomy/sad/melancholy feel. Though bright colours are used in the flashbacks to create a cheerful/happy tone.
Describe the spaciousness of this setting (Cramped or open/roomy).	The setting is quite cramped in the room and on the street. Though there aren’t too many people in the street, they are narrow streets and don’t look very spacious. The flashback setting is also very cramped as there are a lot of people in the small space.
Describe the physical state (messy, neat, formal).	The room is very messy with things everywhere. The floor is covered in different objects and so is the desk. The streets are very dirty and the people that are there are fairly dirty as well. The flashback setting is very clean and slightly formal though also very rushed and crowded/full.
What is the general atmosphere of this setting (what moods or feelings does it invoke)?	The general atmosphere of the room is gloomy though homey. It is disorganised in a way that shows someone is there often. The streets provoke a dark feeling as they are unhygienic and dirty and the colours are gloomy. The flashback setting provokes happy yet slightly uncomfortable feelings with what is shown there.
Describe the acting style of the characters within this setting?	The characters in the flashbacks are very happy to be where they are and act very excited and cheerful. The person in the room setting acts very placid yet gloomy/sad and reminiscing.
How does this setting contribute to the acting style and character/s personality?	The flashback setting creates a happy atmosphere for the actors to act this way in, and the room setting creates a dark atmosphere for the actor to act sad yet placid in.

Cinematography Evaluation

General Cinematography Evaluation
What types of shots are used to convey the intended message in this scene?	A lot of close ups and mid shots are used in this scene to show the emotions of the people and the different objects in the room and in the street.  There are many close ups on the mans face showing his emotions.
How does the use of framing convey information to the audience; by hiding or showing specific elements and information.	The framing in the scene is used to convey information. The framing of different objects hides other things from view.
Describe how the camera position affects each shot?	The camera angles were used to convey different effects in the scenes. One of the shots of the bottles/alcohol was on an angle to show that the character had been drinking.
What type of camera movement takes place and how does it enhance the shot?	The camera movement in the first part of the clip starts out slow and then zooms in fast on different elements in the scene. This effects how the audience view things and views the different people in the scene, as it also goes fast past them. The camera movement is also fast in the flashbacks, which also creates a disorienting feel. But it is slow in the scene with the room and man.
Does the cinematographer make specific use of under or over exposure to convey a message?	The cinematographer uses underexposure in the streets and room. This creates a dark and gloomy feel and also creates an effect of night in the room. It also creates a sort of sad tone in the room.
List 5-10 of the most important shots from your selected scene and describe the following:
Focal point (Does it shift or remain constant)	1. The shot when the man is typing focuses mainly on the words that he is typing, though it also cuts to his face, showing his emotions. Though the main focus of this is the words he is typing. 2. In the flashback there isn’t any main focus, which creates a disorienting feel. 3. The scene also focuses on the typewriter and alcohol, showing that maybe he doesn’t enjoy his job and drinks because of this. It is on the typewriter to show what his job is; that he is a writer. 4. The focal point of the room is the entire thing and shows everything in the room. There is no specific point that draws your eye. It is underexposed and it is hard to see some parts of the room. 5. There is no specific focal point in the street scene as it shifts from one person to another or one object to another.
Shot type	1.     There is a close up on the typewriter to show the specific words he is typing, which also matches to the lyrics. 2.     The close up of the man while he is sitting on the floor shows the emotions he is feeling and helps the audience to understand what he is feeling. 3.     The wide shot of the city shows the setting of the movie. 4.     There is a close up shot of the typewriter and alcohol, which could represent that; he hates his job and drinks alcohol to cope with it. 5.     The shot showing the room is a long shot, which shows every detail and aspect of the room.
Framing/perspective	1.     The framing of the shot of the typewriter only shows the words being typed at that moment, which are also being sung at that moment. 2.     The framing of the flashback is big shots of the room but also has close up/mid shots of different aspects of the room, this cuts of the rest of the things that are happening and shows that people that are having a good time. 3.     The framing of the shot of the typewriter and alcohol is limited to only these two things, which makes you focus on them and think about why they are there. 4.     The shot of the room is from above which can capture everything in the room and doesn’t cut anything out as you can clearly see that it is the mans room as you can also see him in the room 5.     The framing of the street scene goes from showing large amounts of the setting to smaller and smaller amounts, showing different aspects of the setting.
Camera position/movement	1.     The camera moves with the words. The typing speed is normal and is slow on certain words to help the viewers focus on it. 2.     The camera movement in the flashback is fast paced, moving from person to person. 3.     The camera angle changes in this shot, which can give the idea of being drunk. 4.     The camera position does not move in this shot. 5.     The camera in this shot moves a lot, going from person to persona and object to object.

Pop Quiz

1. What are the four elements of Mise-en-Scene?
The four elements of Mise-en-Scene are setting, props, lighting and style of acting.

2. Define the term shot?
 A shot is an image, moving or still that you take with a camera. It can be shots such as mid shots, close ups and long shots, showing different elements of a scene. A continuous piece of uninterrupted/unedited footage.

3. Define the term edit?
An edit is when it cuts from one shot to the next. This can be a cut, fade, dissolve, wipe, etc.

4. Describe three ways that lighting could be used to establish mood in a scene?
The lighting can come from behind, creating an angelic look, it can come from in front, which could create a silhouette which can create a mysterious mood, or it could come from above which could make the object/person look powerful.
Dark lighting

5. What does the term "back lighting" refer to?
The term back lighting refers to lighting coming from behind the character, which can create an angelic look.

6. In cinematography what does the term framing refer to?
The term framing refers to the amount of setting/the objects in the shot. It is like a square and it is the amount of things in the shot. The border of the shot. Controlling what the viewer sees.

7. Why is the rule of thirds an important framing technique?
The rule of thirds is important because it draws your eye to a specific part of the screen, which can be important when wanting the audience/viewers to be focusing on a specific item or person in a scene. Divides the screen into 3 horizontal and vertical lines.

8. Explain 2 reasons that a cinematographer may choose to overexpose a particular shot?
A cinematographer may choose to overexpose a shot to create the feeling of heat or for a sense of disorientation.

9. What is an effect that can be achieved by underexposing a shot?
Underexposing can create a mysterious dark feel to a shot/scene.

10. Explain the difference created by shooting a lone character from a low angle or a high angle?
Shooting a character from a low angle can make the character seem powerful whilst shooting them from a high angle can make them seem powerless or inferior.

11. What does the term canted refer to in cinematography?
A canted shot is when the camera starts at one angle and then moves to another angle, such as going from a high angle to a low angle.

Commercial

The commercial I have chosen is for Coca Cola and can be seen here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkHA2pf1gvc

This commercial makes you feel happy and also is humorous. The commercial is shot well with slow shots of the man sleep walking through the desert to get to the coke. The editing is slow because it is not a fast paced commercial/story. It is also to show the different parts of his journey. The lighting is also bright enough to be able to see everything that is going on but dark enough to show that it is night. The commercial also is very effective in trying to get you to buy the product. There are a lot different shot types and a fair few long shots in the commercial. I enjoyed the clip a lot and thought that the creators did a very good job in creating it. 

10 Movies To Watch

1. Fight Club
2. Downfall
3. Django Unchained
4. Schindler's List
5. Unforgiven
6. Kill Bill
7. There Will Be Blood
8. The Matrix
9. Memento
10. Gladiator

Editing Decision Activity

An innocent character is stalked by a werewolf - a combination of fast and slow shots. Fast shots whilst showing the werewolf to create a mysterious effect and a feeling of terror but also confusion. Slow shots would be used whilst showing the innocent person, showing their innocent lives, as the person doesn't know they are being stalked.

A character confesses their horrific crime to someone - A combination of slow and fast editing. The slow editing would be used whilst the character is confessing their crime and the fast editing would be used to show quick flashbacks of what the character had previously done.

Two teams compete in the finals of a street dance competition - Fast editing. This would be used to for the fast paced dance and would cut between different people and different parts of the body to emphasise the good dancing. It would also cut between the different groups as it is a competition. There would also be some slow editing showing the reactions of some different people watching the competition.

A high speed car chase that ends in tragedy - Fast editing, as it is a high speed car chase. The cars would be going very fast and the edits would cut between different areas/different shots of the cars going very fast. The editing when the tragedy happens would be in slow motion though it would go fast again as the cars hit the ground to show the impact.

Images

Image 1:
This image is an extreme close up of a record. It has used the rule of thirds to draw your eye to the blue stamp on the front. The image is on a slant, as is the blue stamp across the front. The stamp has leading lines which lead to the res of the stamp from the focal point. There is negative space in the top right corner as it is just black, this helps to let you focus on the clipboard/records. This image could be used almost anywhere in the scene, as it can be used for important information. The golden triangle has been used on the stamp as it is a leading line that leads through all thirds. Buttle is also a focal point in the image.

Image 2: 

This image is a long shot. It shows a workplace with many workers in it. My eye got drawn to the cluttered desks/machines in the image. There is also a blur down the bottom right corner which my eye also got drawn to. The poles in the image are leading lines that lead to the desks/machines. The colours are also very bland, such as in a stereotypical workplace. There is light on the floor coming out of something such as an open door. My eye also gets drawn to this as it contrasts to the dull colours. The image is travelling up towards the man at the back. The lighting behind the man leads you to believe that he is important.

Image 3: 

The image is a mid-shot. There rule of thirds has been used. The man in the image is placed slightly to the left of the image so draw your eye to him. There is also a name in the lower third and to the left which your eye also gets drawn to. There is light coming from inside the office and there is also light coming from the left of the image and shining across his face. The lines on the window lead your eye to the man. 

I think the clipboard is showing something important that someone has done, which may be good or bad. This clipboard then had to be taken to the man in charge, so they walk it down the hallway and up to the office of the man in charge.

Scene

In class today we finished by watching a short clip from a film.
This scene told us that the character dreams very big, though in his real life he isn't very powerful. In the dream sequence a lot of magical things are going on, such as a man with wings flying around in the sky. Though when it cuts to the mans real life, it shows him in a very run down, small apartment with very dull colours, signifying that he isn't very happy with his life and what he does for a living. It also signifies that though he dreams big, he hasn't got a fantastic life as big as his dreams. 
The genre of the film is fantasy. Though his dreams are fantasy, that can happen in anyones dreams. What makes it obvious that the film is fantasy is all the gadgets throughout his apartment. When he gets out of bed, everything turns itself on rather than him having to do it himself. 

The Mad Hatter

Today in class we started discussing reading films which is what we will be doing this term. We also watched a clip from Alice in Wonderland and were asked to discuss a particular character from the clip.

The character, The Mad Hatter, is a very odd character. His is portrayed as a crazy, mad, angry, paranoid, optimistic and passionate character. The different aspects in the scene made me feel this way about the character. The way The Hatter is dressed adds to the thought that he is a crazy/mad character, with his crazy hair, makeup and his very unique clothing. The way he acts also adds to this, with him walking across the table and the things he says to Alice and the other characters in the scene. The anger in his personality comes out when he gets very angry at something one of the other characters said, causing him to start speaking in a strong Scottish accent and his eyes to start changing colour. Also, when he begins talking about the White Queen ruling again, it is shown that he is very optimistic and passionate. The cinematography contributes to all of this. The way the scene is shot shows different aspects of the character in different ways to emphasise the different parts of his personality. Overall The Mad Hatter is portrayed very well in the film by the props, acting and cinematography.