For my movie, I decided to choose the famous company Paramount because is is a company that distributes the kind of movies I did : for example, it distributed The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and also The Truman Show.
I think this logo is really appropriate to my opening scene because it is not noisy like the 20th Century Fox or impressive like the Metro Goldwyn Mayer : it is simple and calm.
mercredi 30 mars 2011
mardi 29 mars 2011
Opening scene task
As part of our work, we had to choose randomly 3 opening scenes of movies (two that I know and one that I don't know).
For this project, I choose three opening scenes that helped me on my project but also that showed me what to do or not to do in my project.
The opening scene of Se7en is a really specific and original opening scene for one main reason : it doesn't tell anything about the movie explicitly : To really understand it, the spectator has to "go over the image" and think about the meaning of this introduction.
This intro shows hands doing a lot of different things : writing, crossing, cutting, sewing papers, turning pages of a book ... All those facts, if not related to the movie itself, does not show anything to the spectator.
This opening scene helps creating the atmosphere of the movie
These short cuts based on objects inspired me for the second part of my opening scene in which I am using short cuts that shows one action each.
This is the second opening scene part of my openning scene task.
It is the opening scene of the movie Eat Drink Man Woman.
The opening scene of this movie has many similarities with Se7en's opening scene : close quick shots on hands and on their work. But this scene also uses long shots on, for example when the chef put the water in the cauldron with the chicken (3m02s). Another important difference is that this scene is very explicit compared to Se7en's : we can easily understand that the old man is a chef, professionally or not, and that he is cooking for a special occasion.
An interresting part of the opening scene is the credit : the credits are presented very infrequently. For example, the first credit is presented at the 35th second (on a scene that lasts 4 minutes). They are presented in the original language (taiwanese) in characters. Only on 2m41 (C.S.C) and 3m02 (Tim Squyres), european font appears. This helps creating an atmosphere based on asian cooking. The credits are also shown during the scenes which helps to not interrupt the ambiance created.
For my last opening scene, I choose a really famous credit scene (it is part of the opening scene but there is a part of the movie before it) : The James Bond GoldenEye's credit scene.
James Bond's film are really famous for their opening scene : they always present a short action part and original opening credits with guns and girls, symbols of the movie.
This specific opening scene is based on a mix between real shots and computer images. For example, at 0m40s, we can see a "real" girl combined with a background created on computer. This is obviously a technique I cannot do by myself but it shows how important can be the opening scene.
The opening scene combined with the short action part creates a really good ambiance based on the main subjects of the movie : action.
All this work on opening scenes helped me in many ways but overall, it helped meto define some particularities of my opening scene :
-I will put my credits on a black background (not during the shots but between them)
-
For my last opening scene, I choose a really famous credit scene (it is part of the opening scene but there is a part of the movie before it) : The James Bond GoldenEye's credit scene.
James Bond's film are really famous for their opening scene : they always present a short action part and original opening credits with guns and girls, symbols of the movie.
This specific opening scene is based on a mix between real shots and computer images. For example, at 0m40s, we can see a "real" girl combined with a background created on computer. This is obviously a technique I cannot do by myself but it shows how important can be the opening scene.
The opening scene combined with the short action part creates a really good ambiance based on the main subjects of the movie : action.
All this work on opening scenes helped me in many ways but overall, it helped meto define some particularities of my opening scene :
-I will put my credits on a black background (not during the shots but between them)
-
vendredi 25 mars 2011
How the shoot went (First attempt)
For my first attempt at filming my media project, I started filming the "short quick shots" part. I thought it was going to be easy and quickly done. I didn't plan much before I started filming.
During the filming, I realised that I had a hudge amount of shots to take (and re-take so that I could be sur about them) and it would take a long time.
Not planing creates some problems such as shots that I forget to do or problems of connection between different shots (stuff that appears in a shot when it is not suppose to). I also had to end the filming before I filmed all what I was especting to film because the battrey ran out of power (again because I didn't plan well enough and forgot to recharge the battery).
I did not filmed the part in the car because I didn't have access to a car at this moment.
During the filming, I realised that I had a hudge amount of shots to take (and re-take so that I could be sur about them) and it would take a long time.
Not planing creates some problems such as shots that I forget to do or problems of connection between different shots (stuff that appears in a shot when it is not suppose to). I also had to end the filming before I filmed all what I was especting to film because the battrey ran out of power (again because I didn't plan well enough and forgot to recharge the battery).
I did not filmed the part in the car because I didn't have access to a car at this moment.
mardi 22 mars 2011
The Art Of Titles
For the research on the art of the title website, I had to think about my priorities on goal of the title. I also had to get ideas of fonts and examples of specific fonts or intra-writing.
The Art Of the Title
3 Priorities for my approach of the openning scene
-The fun in our business is creating new things
-When dealing with openning sequence, you try to relax the audience
-You don’t have to over complicate things to start with
Ideas for Credits
For my credits, I can use, for example, these fonts :
-Bernard MT Condensed
-Charlemagne StD
-Stencil Std
These credits can be put during shots or between different shots.
I can also put the credit directly in the movie (E.g. on a paper)
Examples of Fonts in movies poster
The “Never Let me go” poster is a very good example of a specific font in a movie poster.
Fight Club poster is a perfect example of an intra-writing in the image (writing not aded in the movie by computer but present directly in the image).
I also compared the writing of the posters from a movie and his remake : Clash Of The Titans.
This movie poster is a poster from the original film “Clash of The Titans” in 1981.
This movie poster is from the remake of the movie “Clash of The Titans” in 2010
The two writings are quite the same, except from the color (gold for the 1981 version and silver for the 2010 remake). The original poster has a writing that looks "older" and recalls mythology whereas the other one looks more simple.
The aim of this research was to get a title for my movie and also to understand how to use credits, when to put them and what kind of font I can use. I am hesitating between these three titles :
The Art Of the Title
3 Priorities for my approach of the openning scene
-The fun in our business is creating new things
-When dealing with openning sequence, you try to relax the audience
-You don’t have to over complicate things to start with
Ideas for Credits
For my credits, I can use, for example, these fonts :
-Bell Gothic Std Black
-Bernard MT Condensed
-Charlemagne StD
-Stencil Std
These credits can be put during shots or between different shots.
I can also put the credit directly in the movie (E.g. on a paper)
Examples of Fonts in movies poster
The “Never Let me go” poster is a very good example of a specific font in a movie poster.
Fight Club poster is a perfect example of an intra-writing in the image (writing not aded in the movie by computer but present directly in the image).
This movie poster is a poster from the original film “Clash of The Titans” in 1981.
The two writings are quite the same, except from the color (gold for the 1981 version and silver for the 2010 remake). The original poster has a writing that looks "older" and recalls mythology whereas the other one looks more simple.
The Title of my Movie
The aim of this research was to get a title for my movie and also to understand how to use credits, when to put them and what kind of font I can use. I am hesitating between these three titles :
-The Newcomer
-A New Life
-The Outsider
-The Outsider
vendredi 18 mars 2011
Forrest Gump Opening Scene : How to use long shots
The exemple of the opening scene of Forrest Gump shows a good use of a long unique shot : cut based on a moving object (the plume) and Forrest Gump's Reaction to this discovery. This unique shot has one principal purpose : relax the spectators.
The music is also important in this process of relaxing the audition : in this special case, the music grows more as the plume approaches the protagonist (Forrest Gump). Alan Silvestri's song is getting more and more instruments in it to end as a real orchestra. This effect of the music getting intensity also helps the spectator getting in the movie easier.
The unique shot of 3 minutes is a very hard thing to do because of the fact that it has to be done perfectly or every has to be re-done.
The opening scene doesn't show a lot about the movie itself. The spectator has to think about what he sees and, for example, see a metaphor of a life in this long shot based on a feather.
This long cut inspired me for the fisrt part of my openning scene.
Saw 2 Opening : How to use short cuts
The Opening sequence of the movie Saw 2 (2005) demonstrates perfectly how tu use lot of short cuts in one sequence to make the movie more intensive.
The cuts insist on the protagonist :
-First, on his feelings about his situation
The cuts insist on the protagonist :
-First, on his feelings about his situation
-Then, on his choice to deal with the trap or not and his hesitations.
/!\ Violent scene
jeudi 17 mars 2011
AS Media Opening Scene
This opening scene of a media studies project was shown by one of our teachers. I found it really interesting because, at the begining, I though that this sequence wasn't good at all, almost because it isn't filmed well. Then, when I saw the attack, I realised how important the filming is in this project : The filming add a more thrilling feeling about the situation of the students. The way in which it is filmed (from mobile phone as if we were looking through the eyes of each person) make the project even more realistic.
I think this media work was really challenging the conventions much by the fact that it was done with split screens but also because of the quality of the acting and the way in which every protagonist is filming.
To make it even more realistic, they chose to let the "dead" students films which creates a morbid atmosphere (the screens don't move anymore when shot down).
I think this media work was really challenging the conventions much by the fact that it was done with split screens but also because of the quality of the acting and the way in which every protagonist is filming.
To make it even more realistic, they chose to let the "dead" students films which creates a morbid atmosphere (the screens don't move anymore when shot down).
mardi 8 mars 2011
Camera shots part 2
These are informations I found in a very useful website : http://www.mediacollege.com/video/shots/
Extreme Wide Shot (EWS)
In the extreme wide shot, the view is so far from the subject that s/he isn't even visible. The point of this shot is to show the subject's surroundings.
The EWS is often used as an "establishing shot" - the first shot of a new scene, designed to show the audience where the action is taking place.
It is also useful in scenes where the action is very spread out. For example, in a war movie an extreme wide shot can show the scale of the action.
The EWS is also known as an extra long shot or extreme long shot (acronym XLS).
Very Wide Shot (VWS)
The very wide shot is much closer to the subject than an extreme wide shot, but still much further away than a wide shot. The subject is visible here but only just (in this case it's a boy leaning against the fence). The emphasis is very much on placing him in his environment.
This often works as an establishing shot, in which the audience is shown the whole setting so they can orient themselves.
The VWS also allows plenty of room for action to take place, or for multiple subjects to appear on screen.
Wide Shot (WS)
In the wide shot, the subject takes up the full frame. In this case, the boy's feet are almost at the bottom of frame and his head is almost at the top. Obviously the subject doesn't take up the whole width and height of the frame, since this is as close as we can get without losing any part of him. The small amount of room above and below the subject can be thought of as safety room — you don't want to be cutting the top of the head off. It would also look uncomfortable if his feet and head were exactly at the top and bottom of frame.
As with many shot types, the wide shot means different things to different people. However the wide shot seems to suffer more from varying interpretations than other types. Many people take the WS to mean something much wider than our example, i.e. what we would call a very wide shot.
Mid Shot (MS)
The mid shot shows some part of the subject in more detail, whilst still showing enough for the audience to feel as if they were looking at the whole subject. In fact, this is an approximation of how you would see a person "in the flesh" if you were having a casual conversation. You wouldn't be paying any attention to their lower body, so that part of the picture is unnecessary.
The MS is appropriate when the subject is speaking without too much emotion or intense concentration. It also works well when the intent is to deliver information, which is why it is frequently used by television news presenters. You will often see a story begin with a MS of the reporter (providing information), followed by closer shots of interview subjects (providing reactions and emotion).
As well as being a comfortable, emotionally neutral shot, the mid shot allows room for hand gestures and a bit of movement.
Medium Close Up (MCU)
The medium closeup is half way between a mid shot and a close up. This shot shows the face more clearly, without getting uncomfortably close.
Extreme Wide Shot (EWS)
In the extreme wide shot, the view is so far from the subject that s/he isn't even visible. The point of this shot is to show the subject's surroundings.
The EWS is often used as an "establishing shot" - the first shot of a new scene, designed to show the audience where the action is taking place.
It is also useful in scenes where the action is very spread out. For example, in a war movie an extreme wide shot can show the scale of the action.
The EWS is also known as an extra long shot or extreme long shot (acronym XLS).
Very Wide Shot (VWS)
The very wide shot is much closer to the subject than an extreme wide shot, but still much further away than a wide shot. The subject is visible here but only just (in this case it's a boy leaning against the fence). The emphasis is very much on placing him in his environment.
This often works as an establishing shot, in which the audience is shown the whole setting so they can orient themselves.
The VWS also allows plenty of room for action to take place, or for multiple subjects to appear on screen.
Wide Shot (WS)
In the wide shot, the subject takes up the full frame. In this case, the boy's feet are almost at the bottom of frame and his head is almost at the top. Obviously the subject doesn't take up the whole width and height of the frame, since this is as close as we can get without losing any part of him. The small amount of room above and below the subject can be thought of as safety room — you don't want to be cutting the top of the head off. It would also look uncomfortable if his feet and head were exactly at the top and bottom of frame.
As with many shot types, the wide shot means different things to different people. However the wide shot seems to suffer more from varying interpretations than other types. Many people take the WS to mean something much wider than our example, i.e. what we would call a very wide shot.
Mid Shot (MS)
The mid shot shows some part of the subject in more detail, whilst still showing enough for the audience to feel as if they were looking at the whole subject. In fact, this is an approximation of how you would see a person "in the flesh" if you were having a casual conversation. You wouldn't be paying any attention to their lower body, so that part of the picture is unnecessary.
The MS is appropriate when the subject is speaking without too much emotion or intense concentration. It also works well when the intent is to deliver information, which is why it is frequently used by television news presenters. You will often see a story begin with a MS of the reporter (providing information), followed by closer shots of interview subjects (providing reactions and emotion).
As well as being a comfortable, emotionally neutral shot, the mid shot allows room for hand gestures and a bit of movement.
Medium Close Up (MCU)
The medium closeup is half way between a mid shot and a close up. This shot shows the face more clearly, without getting uncomfortably close.
lundi 7 mars 2011
Place
My opening scene is going to take place around St Edmunds College in many different places :
-Around the college
-In front of the main entrance
-In a room
Here is an aerial picture of the Saint Edmunds College
-Around the college
-In front of the main entrance
-In a room
Here is an aerial picture of the Saint Edmunds College
Film Company Logo
I didn't have any specific idea about my film company logo so I decided to simply put it directly in the opening sequence :
I decided to cqll my production's company "Ravenscence" after a discussion with Louis Watkins about orginal names of production companies.
vendredi 4 mars 2011
Camera Shots Part 1
These are informations I found in a very useful website : http://www.mediacollege.com/video/shots/
Cut-In (CI)
Like a cutaway, but specifically refers to showing some part of the subject in detail.
Can be used purely as an edit point, or to emphasise emotion etc. For example, hand movements can show enthusiasm, agitation, nervousness, etc.
Cutaway (CA)
A cutaway is a shot that's usually of something other than the current action. It could be a different subject (eg. this cat when the main subject is its owner), a close up of a different part of the subject (eg. the subject's hands), or just about anything else.
The cutaway is used as a "buffer" between shots (to help the editing process), or to add interest/information.
Weather Shot
In this type of shot the subject is the weather. The sky takes up at least 2/3 of the frame. This type of shot is common in television programs where the weather is of particular interest, e.g. sports shows.
Although the usual purpose of this shot is to show the weather, it is also useful as an establishing shot, for setting the general mood or for overlaying graphics.
A weather shot doesn't have to show the sky. Other shots often used to illustrate weather include:
• Puddles, drain spouts or any example of rainwater flow.
• Trees or anything else blowing in the wind.
• People sunbathing.
• Snowmen, snowball fights, snow sledding, etc.
Over the Shoulder Shot (OSS)
This shot is framed from behind a person who is looking at the subject. The person facing the subject should usually occupy about 1/3 of the frame.
This shot helps to establish the position of each person, and get the feel of looking at one person from the other's point of view.
It's common to cut between these shots during a conversation, alternating the view between the different speakers.
This shot can be varied quite a bit to include the shoulder or back of the person facing the subject.
Cut-In (CI)
Like a cutaway, but specifically refers to showing some part of the subject in detail.
Can be used purely as an edit point, or to emphasise emotion etc. For example, hand movements can show enthusiasm, agitation, nervousness, etc.
Cutaway (CA)
A cutaway is a shot that's usually of something other than the current action. It could be a different subject (eg. this cat when the main subject is its owner), a close up of a different part of the subject (eg. the subject's hands), or just about anything else.
The cutaway is used as a "buffer" between shots (to help the editing process), or to add interest/information.
Weather Shot
In this type of shot the subject is the weather. The sky takes up at least 2/3 of the frame. This type of shot is common in television programs where the weather is of particular interest, e.g. sports shows.
Although the usual purpose of this shot is to show the weather, it is also useful as an establishing shot, for setting the general mood or for overlaying graphics.
A weather shot doesn't have to show the sky. Other shots often used to illustrate weather include:
• Puddles, drain spouts or any example of rainwater flow.
• Trees or anything else blowing in the wind.
• People sunbathing.
• Snowmen, snowball fights, snow sledding, etc.
Over the Shoulder Shot (OSS)
This shot is framed from behind a person who is looking at the subject. The person facing the subject should usually occupy about 1/3 of the frame.
This shot helps to establish the position of each person, and get the feel of looking at one person from the other's point of view.
It's common to cut between these shots during a conversation, alternating the view between the different speakers.
This shot can be varied quite a bit to include the shoulder or back of the person facing the subject.
mardi 1 mars 2011
Preliminary Task
The preliminary task has to contain one person walking in a room and sitting down in front of an other one. Then one of the character had to leave. The main task of this short scene was to train us to shot-reverse shot and also to respect the 180 degree rule (see post).
For this task, I was working with Will, Louis and Stan. We had to help each other by acting or filming for each one of us.
The process of filming started very well and I learnt how hard it is to be serious while filming. This means that it is really to not laugh during the scene and it can become a real problem when you have to do and re-do scenes over and over again. But we had many problems : first of all, because we had all the same memory card, we got a confuse between what part belongs to who. Then, after an other period of filming, we had an other problem and lost again an important part of the work. Finally, we filmed it all once again and started editing. We also had many problems with the cameras' batteries which were not always fully charged.
For the editing part of the preliminary task, I had an advantage because I knew already how to use IMovie which is quite similar to Corel VideoStudio 12.
I have learnt a lot about this preliminary task but the two most important things were :
-How important it is to plan carefully the filming (i.e.: by doing a storyboard to respect 180 degree rule, by charging the battery before we film ...)
-How important it is to pay attention to the memory card (i.e.: is it full ?)
For this task, I was working with Will, Louis and Stan. We had to help each other by acting or filming for each one of us.
The process of filming started very well and I learnt how hard it is to be serious while filming. This means that it is really to not laugh during the scene and it can become a real problem when you have to do and re-do scenes over and over again. But we had many problems : first of all, because we had all the same memory card, we got a confuse between what part belongs to who. Then, after an other period of filming, we had an other problem and lost again an important part of the work. Finally, we filmed it all once again and started editing. We also had many problems with the cameras' batteries which were not always fully charged.
For the editing part of the preliminary task, I had an advantage because I knew already how to use IMovie which is quite similar to Corel VideoStudio 12.
I have learnt a lot about this preliminary task but the two most important things were :
-How important it is to plan carefully the filming (i.e.: by doing a storyboard to respect 180 degree rule, by charging the battery before we film ...)
-How important it is to pay attention to the memory card (i.e.: is it full ?)
Inscription à :
Articles (Atom)