Wednesday, 2 December 2009
Shot List for the devils playground
Character information
Target audience
Our thriller is very hard to place in a target audience becuase of the niche genre our film falls into.
Filming- Saturday 28th November 2009
Thursday, 19 November 2009
Location Info
The starting location is in the alley opposite the station leading up to the church. The alley is between the two fields and is a narrow pathway. We have chosen this location, as it is a very secluded area with fields on either side. Also there are some really old houses, which in the evening add to the affect of the thriller convention, as they look mysterious and creepy.
Our location actually changed once we arrived at the location as it didn't make sense that she would run past the old fashioned houses and not stop and scream for help. Instead we used the muddy track which was next to The Vicarage where we shot the Flashbacks as the family are close family friends and they have a front and back door in that weren't see through glass, like mine, and were in close range of the main shooting location which was the church.
By Paige Lee-Edmunds
Props List
Props List
· Weapon - Knife
· Mobile phone
· Cross on necklace
· Costumes ie. Big parker jacket
· Bells
· Magazine
Workload for the devils playground
Thursday, 5 November 2009
Actors
Depp rose to prominence in a lead role on the television series 21 Jump Street and quickly became regarded as a teen idol. Uncomfortable with that characterization, he turned his focus to film roles that he felt were right. He initially came to film prominence as the titular character of Edward Scissorhands, and later found box office success in roles such as Ichabod Crane in Sleepy Hollow, Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean film series and his role as the quirky Willy Wonka in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
He has collaborated with director and close friend Tim Burton in seven films, the most recent of which include Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007) and the upcoming Alice in Wonderland. Depp has garnered acclaim for his portrayals of real life figures such as Edward Wood, Jr., in Ed Wood, Joseph D. Pistone in Donnie Brasco and George Jung in Blow (2001). More recently, he portrayed legendary bank robber John Dillinger in Michael Mann's 2009 film Public Enemies.
Films featuring Depp have grossed over $2.3 billion at the United States box office and over $4.8 billion worldwide. Nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor three times, Screen Actors Guild Awards four times and Golden Globe Awards eight times, Depp won the Best Actor Awards from the Golden Globes for his role in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street and from the Screen Actors Guild for Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.
She has starred in many Hollywood films. While most of her film roles have been in comedies such as Bruce Almighty, Office Space, Rumor Has It, and the romantic comedies Along Came Polly and The Break-Up, she has also appeared in films from other genres, such as the comedy-horror Leprechaun and the crime thriller Derailed.
Directors
Alfred Hitchcock (1899-1980), auteur, showman and famed director, had a career spanning five decades and over 50 films.
Movies by Alfred Hitchcock
The Lodger (1926 - Silent)Starring: Ivor Novello and Marie AultTaut thriller of a lodger accused of murder by a jealous detective.
The Ring (1927 - Silent)Starring: Carl Brisson and Ian HunterJealous lovers and an angry prizefighter combine in this suspenseful film.
Easy Virtue (1927 - Silent)Starring: Isabel Jeans and Ian HunterDrama of a woman torn between her alcoholic husband and suicidal lover.
Champagne (1928 - Silent)Starring: Betty Balfour and Gordon HarkerGorgeous cinematography and classic story of a rich father trying to teach his daughter an important lesson make this a must-see for many Hitchcock fans.
The Farmer's Wife (1928 - Silent)Starring: Jameson Thomas and Lillian Hall-DaviesA farmer, his wife, and the housekeeper in a classic romantic triangle.
Manxman (1929)Starring: Carl Brisson and Anny OndraTimeless story of love and betrayal on the Isle of Man.
Blackmail (1929)Starring: Anny Ondra and John LongdenFirst British sound picture features tale of a blackmailed Scotland Yard inspector.
Juno and the Paycock (1930)Starring: Sara Allgood and Edward ChapmanAdaptation of Sean O'Casey's seriocomic play of life in Dublin slums.
Murder! (1930)Starring: Herbert Marshall and Nora BaringWhen a lone juror believes the defendant in a murder trial is innocent, he's determined to find the real killer himself.
Skin Game (1931)Starring: Edmund Gwenn and Jill EsmondTwo families-- one wealthy, one poor-- battle over land in this saga.
Rich and Strange (1932)Starring: Henry Kendall and Joan BarryA leisurely trip around the world for a wealthy couple is interrupted by a shipwreck.
Number 17 (1932)Starring: Leon M. Lion and Anne GreyThis comic thriller follows the escapades of a luckless hobo who happens on a thief's hidden fortune.
The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934)Starring: Leslie Banks and Edna BestPolitical adventure-thriller of an American couple caught in an assassination plot later remade by Hitchcock himself.
The 39 Steps (1935)Starring: Madeleine Carroll and Robert DonatSpies, murder and mistaken identity combine in this espionage thriller.
Secret Agent (1936)Starring: Madeleine Carroll and John GielgudTension-filled thriller explores spies in the English countryside.
Sabotage (1936)Starring: Sylvia Sidney and Oscar HomolkaThis comic thriller features a theater cashier who suspects her husband is a terrorist.
Young and Innocent (1937)Starring: Derrick DeMarney and Nova PilbeamA man accused of an actress' murder is aided by a young woman in clearing his name.
The Lady Vanishes (1938)Starring: Margaret Lockwood and Michael RedgraveA woman is drawn into a web of intrigue when her companion on a train disappears.
Jamaica Inn (1939)Starring: Charles Laughton and Maureen O'HaraSuspenseful melodrama focuses on daring orphan who uncovers smugglers' ring.
Rebecca (1940)Starring: Laurence Olivier and Joan FontaineAdaptation of Daphne Du Maurier's famous novel of a couple tormented by the presence of the husband's dead wife.
Foreign Correspondent (1940)Starring: Joel McCrea and Laraine DayAn unsuspecting crime reporter gets swept up in an international espionage conspiracy in this fast-paced adventure.
Mr. and Mrs. Smith (1941)Starring: Carole Lombard and Robert MontgomeryHilarious screwball comedy about the merry mishaps that befall a couple after they discover they weren't legally married.
Suspician(1941)Starring: Cary Grant and Joan FontaineSubtle suspense and fine-drawn tension in this mystery of a wealthy woman who suspects her playboy husband wants to murder her.
Saboteur (1942)Starring: Priscilla Lane and Robert CummingsFalse accusations of murder and sabotage leads to some surprising consequences in this chilling film.
Shadow of a doubt(1943)Starring: Joseph Cotten and Teresa WrightWoman suspects her loving uncle of murder. Hitchcock's own personal favorite.
Bon Voyage & Aventure Malgache (1944)Starring: John BlytheDirected by Hitchcock for the war effort in Britain during WWII, this pair of short films details a British pilot behind enemy lines.
Lifeboat (1944)Starring: Tallulah Bankhead and William BendixPsychological thriller about survivors trapped on a lifeboat with limited supplies. Features nail biting suspense and fine performances.
Spellbound (1945)Starring: Ingrid Bergman and Gregory PeckAn amnesiac impersonating a famous psychologist. The doctor who wants to save him-- even if he is guilty of murder.
Notorius(1946)Starring: Cary Grant and Ingrid BergmanA classic tale of love and betrayal-- an FBI agent must send the woman heloves to seduce a Nazi conspirator.
The Paradine Case (1947)Starring: Gregory Peck and Alida ValliCourtroom melodrama about a lawyer who falls for his client.
Rope (1948)Starring: James Stewart and Farley GrangerCompelling tale of murder between friends, famed for its basis on Leopold & Loeb case and experimental cinematography.
Under Capricorn (1949)Starring: Ingrid Bergman and Joseph CottenPeriod drama details saga of an English lady who falls in love with her cousin.
Stage fright(1950)Starring: Jane Wyman and Marlene DietrichDrama student accused of murder must battle to prove her own innocence.
Strangers on a train(1951)Starring: Farley Granger and Ruth RomanA must-see classic, this tale of strangers who take on each other's murders builds to a nail-biting climax.
I Confess(1953)Starring: Montgomery Clift and Anne BaxterThoughtful character study of a priest who hears a murderer's confession-- only to fall under suspicion himself.
Dial M for Murder(1954)Starring: Ray Milland and Grace KellyAn heiress and her husband's oh-so-perfect plot to kill her make up this taut thriller.
Rear window(1954)Starring: James Stewart and Grace KellyOne of the Master's finest-- a photographer laid up with a broken leg finds himself caught up in his neighbors' lives-- and one of their murders.
To Catch a Thief (1955)Starring: Grace Kelly and Cary GrantRomance and intrigue combine in a seaside resort when a reformed jewel thief is suspected of a rash of burglaries.
The Trouble with Harry (1955)Starring: Edmund Gwenn and John ForsytheIn this black comedy, a small town has a big problem-- a body that won't stay put.
The wrong man(1956)Starring: Henry Fonda and Vera MilesIt's noir à la Hitchcock in this stark, gritty tale of a wrongly-accused jazz musician.
The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956)Starring: James Stewart and Doris DayHitchcock's edge-of-your-seat remake of his own 1934 movie involves Americans caught up in an assassination plot.
Vertigo by alfred Hitchcock (1958)Starring: James Stewart and Kim NovakConsidered Hitchcock's masterpiece-- caught in a never-ending spiral of deception and obsession, a private detective must discover the truth behind the death of the woman he loved.
North by Northwest (1959)Starring: Cary Grant and Eva Marie SaintHeart-stopping suspense abound in this tale of an innocent man mistaken for a notorious spy.
Phsyco by Alfred Hitchcock(1960)Starring: Anthony Perkins and Janet LeighThe seminal horror film of a young man tormented by his past-- and his mother.
The Birds (1963)Starring: Rod Taylor and Tippi HedrenTerror strikes out of nowhere when birds begin mysteriously attacking anyone and anything in their way.
Marnie (1964)Starring: Sean Connery and Tippi HedrenA beautiful kleptomaniac and the man who loves her clash in this psychological thriller.
Torn Curtain (1966)Starring: Paul Newman and Julie AndrewsBewildering his wife, friends, and colleagues, an American physicist defects-- or does he?
Topaz (1969)Starring: John Forsythe and Frederick StaffordDanger and intrigue abound in this complex espionage thriller.
Frenzy (1972)Starring: Jon Finch and Barry FosterThe Master at his most shocking in this black comedy about a series of strangulations.
Family Plot (1976)Starring: Karen Black and Bruce DernA phony psychic faces off with a jewel thief in this thriller/comedy.
The 180 degree rule
One simple principle when shooting subjects is considering ‘the line’, known as the 180-degree rule. For some filmmakers and/ or videographers this may come naturally, but this is one major principle, no matter your degree of experience or knowledge, that every camera operator needs to always consider; otherwise his or her work will appear amateurish.
The 180-degree rule is an imaginary line or the axis of action drawn across the frame or screen. It is the location where not only action or the direction a subject is moving, but it is also the sightlines, or the character’s direction of vision. Once shooting has begun, the camera operator needs to stay on one side of the line in which they initially started shooting that particular action.
To break the 180 degree rule you move the camera, while shooting, across the line. For example, a Steadicam operator tracking around the subject(s) while shooting, thus creating a continuous flow of action--does not break the 180-degree rule. The operator may stop anywhere, but once stopped, there’s always a line.
The main thing you must consider, whether planning your shots while storyboarding or while blocking the set, is to consider the 180-degree rule. It’s simple to follow! Once the line is followed, you automatically create a continuous flow of action and a logical sense of direction within your video.
Saturday, 31 October 2009
Thriller research
The opening of a Thriller film usually contains something that draws us in a viewers such as something that we want explained so will continue to watch the film to discover what is happening and why.
Sub genres are identifiable sub-classes of the larger category of Main film genres , with their own distinctive subject matter, style and formulas. Some are them are prominent sub-genres, such as: biopics, 'chick' flicks, detective/mystery films, disaster films, fantasy films, film noir, 'guy' films, melodramas (or 'weepers'), road films, romances, sports films, supernatural films, and thriller/suspense films.
The location of a thriller is usually somewhere that is interesting, as to catch the audiences attention,for example, "The Davinchi code" is set in a famous french art gallery, and you are instantly drawn in to the films location as it is somewhere that you know of and are intrigued as to why the film would be set there.
Set design,costume and props are all also important as they provide part of the story, if a man is in a suit the audience wants to know why. If a man is wearing rags, the audience will again want to know why and how it ties into the film and what they mean. They really set the scene as there colors can have certain connotations and show people and locations in a certain light. For example, if you were to watch a film with a black location you can tell the film is going to be dark and usually serious.
Thursday, 15 October 2009
Wednesday, 14 October 2009
30th September-Second Prelim task
For our second prelim task i worked with Percelle Ascott and Laura Walton.We had to do a short film on a meeting of two people.As a group we discussed what we would like to do and came up with a short and silly meeting to exchange chocolate.We went out with the cameras and found the ideal location , in the music rooms, as they were quiet and had a corridor outside for Laura to walk down to be filmed.It also has its own little rooms that can be used as an office for the character percy played which was a gangster character.The room also had a table in it for the exchange to take place which was really useful but unfortunatly the room also had a piano in it as it is a music room and if we had had the time and had been allowed to i would have loved to have moved the piano out of the room as the room is small enough as it is and having the piano in it made it difficult to film as there was little space.
Also, we unfortunatly were missing a piece from our tripod which meant we could not use the tripod so we used all handheld instead which made the shots quite wobbely in places.To have resolved this problem i would have gone up to the camera room and borrowed another one.At the time though we had spent so much time finding a location and choosing what to do for the prelim task that we didnt have enough time and just had to get straight on with filming.I really enjoyed this task though as i learnt from it.One thing i learnt is that you actually NEED to use a tripod as when editing and putting the final peice together we realised just how wobbely it was! Luckily we had a few taes which werent as bad so we used them instead.
1st Prelim Task-23rd September
Thursday, 1 October 2009
Introduction to shot types
You may use this shot to show a very large expanse of an area such as a city. It is used to show a particular location.
- Long shot-LS:You may use this shot to show another large expanse of an area such as a house and the area it is in to show a location.
- Medium long shot-MLS:This is used to show a person and the area.
- Medium shot –MS
- Medium close up- MCU
- Close up- CU
- Big close up – BCU
- Extreme close up – ECU
- Low angle
- High angle
- Worms eye
- Birds eye
- Canted
- Eye level
- Two shot
- Over the shoulder shot
- Point of view-POV
Pan-In photography panning refers to the horizontal movement or rotation of a still or video camera ,or the scanning of a subject horizontally . Panning a camera results in a motion similar to that of someone shaking their head "no"
Analyzing the opening sequence to "Seven"
Film: Seven (1995)
Lead Actors: Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman, and Gwyneth Paltrow
Director: David Fincher
Titles: Very dramatic. Fast paced. Such a huge comparison to the actual opening scene. The sound of a scratching against a blackboard sort of thing was so dramatic and chilling. They also lead you to not know what to expect. It sounds like a scream as well which is psychotic and scary and like a horror genre. The images are also disturbing, but it draws you in. Merged all together. You want to know what the opening shots are of. They seem obsessive. Like someone collecting evidence but you can see that this is definitely not a police station. We are pulled in like to be the police officers we cant se the man that we assume is the criminal but yet we know what he is doing- kind of. This is how the police officer would feel so this leads you to side with the police officer characters in this film as you feel the frustration to know who is doing this, just as they do. You can see the character of the criminal as he slices at his fingers; it is like obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Shots: Starts with a long shot to establish location and then moved onto a shot of characters face. This introduces you to the main character as you start with him and follow his journey for work. Claustrophobic, very close shot. Then close up of his hand picking up objects. Establishes job. As the two characters walk away from a crime scene we get a worms eyeshot to establish the power of the characters. Very long, continuous shots used, possibly to show lack of panic so no need (at the moment) for fast movements.
Movement: All movements are slow and deliberate. This works as, for example, when Morgan Freeman is doing his tie up this shows his character takes pride in the way he looks.
Generic Themes: We can see that Morgan freeman’s character is more dominant as he is more prepared with a hat for the rain and also, whilst Brad Pitts character gets knocked by someone and stumbles and dodges the rain, Morgan Freeman walks solidly and is sheltered by his hat. Also you can see Morgan freeman’s character is compassionate as he ass if the child saw the incident that he is investigating.No-one respects the corpse. The guy does not even care about the family.
Sound: Rain. Very downbeat. Sound of ambulance, is a very ominous tone. No music at all in the opening scene, very hollow. Goes straight into a scene. You can hear people arguing in the flat next to him. Shows how he is never alone. You can hear his footsteps- Sound is lonely, sad.
Mise-en-scene: Always raining. Shows gloom misery, washing away evidence, makes the job harder, like a barrier. Not a typical thriller opening. No tension or build up. Very dark. No pictures. Shows maybe no family. No personality in bed. Dull. They did not use any lighting when creating film. Naturalistic as they used whatever light that they found. You can see this.
This is a very slow film as well. There are no quick sharp shots.
Sunday, 27 September 2009
Analysing opening sequence to "Memento"
Friday, 25 September 2009
Introduction to Thriller codes and conventions
An introduction to Thriller Films
One opening sequence that i would like to comment on in particular was "End of the line". This is the one that i watched the most amount of times so got the chance to evaluate better.They used one amazing shot that stays in my head and that was the shot of the London Eye sped up.This was effective as watching the transition of time in a quick and interesting way made the opening sequence a lot more intriguing as you ask yourself, "Why are we watching the London Eye revolving quicker?" and also gives you the location of where the Thriller is likely to be set or connected to as why would you have a shot of the London eye revolving sped up if your Thriller was based in America and has absolutely nothing to do with London?
An introduction to me
Hey =)
I'm Paige Lee-Edmund's and I'm studying theatre as my strand and media is my only option. I did a Media GCSE at the BRIT school for two years and got a B grade.
I chose to do media as i really want t go into a profession in media. i would really like to study media at a university as i really enjoy it.Something media-related that i am particularly interested in is film work as i enjoy being behind a camera as much as i enjoy being in front of it! I love using so many different shots to create the right effect and my favourite shot is either an over the shoulder shot or a worms eye shot as both can show so many different views and convey so many different meanings and i love getting the camera into the right position as when you get the perfect shot its so satisfying.
My favourite film is "Hot Fuzz" . I really enjoy it as i love the plot and the thrill you get from watching it. I also really love the way it is filmed, in a similar fashion to "Shaun of the dead". They both use short sharp shots with very dramatic music to show the simplest things, i.e the main character getting ready for work. It is a very effective and clear way of getting something across (like the characters job) in a fast way so that no time is used that needn't be.