Lighting

7th October 2010                Miss Lecionte

Learning objective:

-          To learn the film language used to describe lighting techniques and effects

-          Analyse lighting techniques and their effects, using the correct terminology

Outcome:

All: will be able to describe one style of lighting techniques. (E)

Most: will be able to identify 2-3 lighting styles and explain the purpose it has. (C)

Some: will be able to identify the lighting style and will also be able to use media language effectively to describe the purpose it has. (A)

Lighting helps to convey mood and atmosphere in a scene. It can also be used to guide the audience’s attention to a particular object, person, or gesture. Lighting can also be used to cast shadows and build tension and suspense.

Lighting Terminology
 
This is back lighting and is light that comes from behind the character;  if little light is used then this creates silhouettes and a scary emotion to the audience because you can’t see who the people are that are; it could be anything. This would help me in my thriller film because if i wanted to potray an unknown villian then i would use back lighting. This would allow the audience to see the outline of a figure but not the face. If i use this in my thriller film then this would make the audience wonder who the person is. It will also make the person seem more like a dark and evil person as we can't see their face.

This is high key lighting. This means lighting appears more natural and realistic to the eyes; filter lights are used to make the shadows produced looked softer. This creates a calm happy emotion. This is because the character is smiling and her mood looks calm so it makes the audience calm. THis will help me in my thriller film because if i wanted to create a calm and happy mood then i would use this type of lighting. I wouldn't use this type of lighting often in my thriller film becuase it wouldn't allow me to create some of the mood i want to achieve. For example if i wanted to create a character to look bad and evil, it would be harder because you would see the characters face. Although if it was darker, you wouldn't see the characters face well so there will be a sense of tension as the audience can't see the characters face.

This is top lighting. This is when the light is coming from the top or above the character. This creates a happy emotion to the audience. This is because the character in the picture is smiling. This type of lighting creates a glamourous look in the star; it also highlights the key features of a character. This also creates a natural look to the image because the lighting is coming from a high angle and the sun is high also. This will help me in my thriller film because if i wanted to make one of my characters look natural then i would use this type of lighting. Although as high key lighting i wouldn't use this type of lightig as much i my thriller film because it would be hard to create certain moods to the audience.

This is under lighting. This is when the main source of light comes from below the subject. This creates a sinister feeling because of the distorting effect it has on the characters face; so this thi often used in horror films. This picture gives the character a sinster look. This may be because the background is dark and part of the characters face is dark. This type of lighting will help me in the making of my thriller film because it gives characters bad intentions based on what they look like. So if i wanted to build tension to the audience from a character's actions then i would use this type of lighting.

 

Here is an example of low key lighting. This creates a suspicious mood and is used to create suspicion. This type of lighting creates suspition because the audience can't see the characters face properly so creates suspicion and makes us think that the character has something to hide. Low key lighting will help me in the making of my thriller film because it makes it easier to create tension and suspense. This is because the audience can't see everything that going on. So for example if they see someone walking down a hallway in lowkey lighting there will be tension as they can't see the characters face properly. 

 

 In a studio the lighting normally comes from 3 main sources;

Key Light: Is usually the brightest light and the most influential. Here is an example of key lighting:

Back Light: Helps to counteract the effect of the key, making the character/ object look more rounded. Here is an example of back lighting:

Filler Light: Helps to soften the harsh shadows that the other lights create. Here is an example of filler light:

Film Noir is the term given by French film critics to a group of American films released in the late 1940’s and 50s. The plot was often based on detective novels set in big cities with dark alleyways, wet pavements and sleazy bars. The films were termed ‘noir’ because of the dark look of the films. The lighting was low key with strong areas of contrast between light and dark. Actors’ faces were sometimes lit this way to cast a dark shadow over one side, suggesting a darker side to the character.

Extract: The Matrix

Here is the URL to the red pill/blue pill of The matrix: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arcJksDgCOU

The lighting of this extract is low key. This created a more sinister feel to the scene. This may have been because there was a lot of dark pacthes around the room which created an evil and dark vibe to the room. The characters faces were half hidden. This created a sense of mystery to the audience because we couldn't see their faces;we didn't know their full emotion. Overall the lighting made the scene have a scary mood because you can't see much, it makes you wonder. There are some elemnts of film noir because of the dark look of the scene and the lighting was low key. Also the actors faces were hidden by the darkness to show their darker side.

Editing

4th October 2010                   Mrs. Fisher

Objective: To be able to show an understanding of how editing is used to create meaning.

Reaction Shot: Any shot (often used as a cutaway) in which a subject reacts to a previous shot. This shot can be used in a film when there is shocking news to a character and they react to the news or actions made by laughing, crying etc. This type of edit can help me in my thriller film because for example is someone dies in a scene, i can use this edit to show the characters reaction and face expression; if the character is crying then it may bring sympathy to the audience.

Here is a clip from the film obsessed which shows a eaction shot. At the beginning of the clip where the character which came into the house didnt realised that someone was in the house hears the champange pop caused a reation shot showing a surprised and confused look.




Invisible editing/ continuity editing: This is were the audience don't notice the editing when it cuts. It supports rather than dominates the narrative, the plot and the character are the focus.

Montage: Lots of different shots together in one sequence. The speed of editing, where shots are quickly juxtaposed together to create excitement. The clip above from the film obsessed shows this edit. From 1:53 seconds, the two ladies start fighting. This then showed many edits to show different angles of the fight. This would cause exitement to the audience and invovles them more. This edit will help me in my thriller film because it will make the audience feel more part of the film.

Slow Editing: Is when clips are put together at a slower pace and this is to create suspense. The shot lasts longer between each shot. The clip above also shows slow editing.

Straight Cut: The shot moves from one to another with a 'clean' abrupt cut. This is used often in edits becuase usually the audience don't notice this edit. This will help me in the makimg of my thriller film because as i use this shot it will help me to move to another shot without loosing the audiences focus on the film.

Fade-Out: The last scene fades into the blackness. This is used at the end of a film. This will help me in the making of my thriller film because i can use this shot when my film ends to acknowledge the audience that my film is ended.

Dissolve: Two images blended together. This would make the audience to not lose focus in whats going on from scene to scene.

Wipe Cut: This is where one part of the screen moves away to wipe the other scene.

Jump Cut: When the film suddenly focuses on something.

Linking of Selection: Where one section of a film is linked to another scene, which has significance.

Timing Shots: In the editing stage same shots are either edited slower or quicker to add emotional impact or to create suspense.

Kuleshov effect: This is where two shots equal a meaning. E.g. A shot of a man lying on the ground then a shot of another man holding a gun. Although no one said someone has died, us as a audience make our own narrative that someone has died. Under neath is an example is this type of edit. This is a clip from Halloween Resurrection. A Kuleshov effect is used from 35 seconds. The audience makes a guess that the man stabbed the lady. Although noone said or saw his face when he killed her, we make a guess that he did. This is because he was following her before and it was only them in the scene so it was either one or the other. This edit allows that audience to make there own narrative with the film; this is because noone tells them that he killed the lady but we assume. This edit will help me in my thriller film because i'm allowing the audience to get involved with my film. This would make my film more interesting for my audience to watch.



180° rule: The camera has to be positioned in a certain way to make sense to the audience. This edit is usually used in sitcoms such as "Everybody Loves Raymond." Here is an example undernearth. Films don't usually follow this rule because in order to make the audience feel like they are part of the part, they must see all around a scene. So i wouldn't use this in my thriller film as it won't give the audience the full experience of  the film. 




Shot reverse shot: This is mostly used in films where a conversation is taking place. This edit is used in the above clip. From 7:30 to 8:19 there is a converstion between three people. This edit involves the camera going back and forth to the characters to show a coversation taken place. This edit will help me in my thriller film because i can use this shot when there is a sort of interection with two of the characters.

Graphic Match: This is when the shape from one shot matches the shape of the next. For example a woman screaming with her mouth open in a circular shape, the next shot could be of a tunnel.

Film Physco 1960- The shower scene

The speed of the editing from this scene started slow then quicken when she was being attacked.

This table shows how many times i saw editing in this scene. Straight cut was the most common. There was more editing during the attack. This was to show what was taking place at different angles. Kuleshov effect was used during the attack because none said that the lady was dying but we knew from the action that she was dying. The practical reason to do editing around the 1960's was because there was only one camera used so this allowed the camera to change position. So this would be used so the camera can change position and show another angle of the scene.

Scene from Kidulthood

Scene from Slumdog Millionaire

There are a few similarities between these two scenes. For example they both have wipe cuts but this is for different reasons and creates different effects to the audience. The most common style of editing used was straight cut. This may have been because it is simple and it doesn't bring much attention to the edit, so there is still a focus on what's going on in the scene. During the wipe cut of the two scenes, the attention was taken away from was was actually going on. The editing of the films did follow the generic convention of the films because tension was brought where needed through the edits. For example the fast editing during Slumdog millionaire when the boys were running for their lives.

Sound

30th September 2010          Miss lecointe


Lesson Objective: To be able to show an understanding of how sound is used to create meaning.

Lesson Outcomes:
All will be able to explain the purpose of one sound technique (E)
Most will be able to identify and explain the purpose of 2-4 sound techniques (C)
Some will be able to use media language effectively to explain the purpose of 5 or more different sound techniques (A)

Sound code: This is the type of music in a text can convey a great deal of information, about the mood and of the text. Tension and emotions can be helped by the music.

I watched the shower scene in Psycho as an example of sound code. Violins were played during beginning; this made the mood calm and airy. There was a sharp screech as the lady got attacked. This shows that there was danger. At the start of the scene, the pitch was low; this showed calmness. Then as the lady got attacked, the pitch then got high. This may have been to show how scared the lady was (by screaming.) During the middle of the scene when the lady was having a shower, it was silent. This brought suspense to the audience that something bad might happen.

Here is the clip for the famous shower scene of Psycho:

This type of sound would help me in my thriller film because it will help me create a certian mood from the audience. For example if i wanted to create suspense i would use pianos to slowly play through the scene. This will leave the audience on the edge of their seat waiting on what will happen next.

Diegetic: This is sound you would expect to hear in the film world. It belongs with the frame. It will be the natural part of the narrative. Not always visible.

I watched a scene in Kidulthood as an example of Diegetic. In this scene we heard bottles smashing and cars driving by. There was no sound added on and we know this because we could see the sound happening.

Here is the clip for the "Old enough blud" scene in Kidulthood:

This type of sound will help me in my thriller film because it would make my film more realistic. For example if a glass fell on the floor, you would expect it to make a smashing noise but if it doesn't then it may create confusion to the audience and may cause them to loose concentration and focus from the film. So i will make sure that in my film i will have diegetic sound like someone walking in high heels and you hear the heels on the floor.

Non-diegetic: This is sound or music that is added, such as in the editing scene.

We watched the fight scene of X-men. The nightcrawler was trying to attack the president of America. There was music playing as the man was trying to dodge and attack to bodyguards for the president. This music brought suspense to the audience because the music was as fast as the action going on. As the men were punching each other, the sound was very exaggerated. The punch's were louder than they really were; this may have been used to make the punch's sound more painful than they really are. This may have brought sympathy.

Here is the clip for the Night crawler fight scene of X-men:

This type of sound will help me in my thriller film because it will help me to create more of a dramatic effect. For example if there was a fighting scene in my film, i may add on punching noises to create more a dramatic effect that someone is getting punched. Also diegetic sound may not be heard so it would be better to add on sound.

Rhythm of the music: This can dictate the rhythm of cuts, such as in fight scenes to create tension.
This type of sound was used in the above clip. As there was more danger to the president, the music got more faster. This would create suspense to the audience and may leave them at the edge of there seats. This type of sound would help me in the making of my thriller film because if i wanted to create even more suspense to the audience then i would use this type of sound.

Silence: creates tension.

Voice over narration: This is when dialogue is added on in the editing stage and it is usually used to explain things that have already happened.

I watched a clip from Texas Chainsaw Massacre as an example for Voice over narration. The narrator was talking about what was going through the scenes on the screen. This type of scene sounds like it should be for a documentary. The only other time this is usually used is when films are a tale based on a true story.

This type of sound will help me in my thriller film only if my film will be based on a true story. This way the persons life we're filming can narrate their own film in a film.

Sound bridge: this is when sound can be used as a bridge to maintain continuity in a sequence by running a soundtrack under a series of images to link them together, or to create a transition from one scene to another.

Parallel sound: This is when the sound and the image complement each other.

Contrapuntal Sound: This is when the sound and image don’t complement each other. Happy music played over something sad happening on the screen.)

We watched Clockwork orange as an example of Contrapuntal. People were being attacked by these burglars who were also beating up the couple, they were singing the song 'singing in the rain.' This is a happy song and the fact that they were singing it during the attack brought humour even though it's not funny.

Here is the URL of the 'brak-in-scene' of clockwork orange: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=faML0QvVb2A

This may help me in my thriller film because it will interest the audience more because it may bring humour or confusion.

There are many different ways in which music is used in films, but the main purpose of music is to create different moods, tones and emotions. Also it can help the audience to understand a scene in more detail too.

In this lesson I learnt the different sound types used whilst making a film. This lesson will help me in the making of the opening scene of my thriller film because i can make my own version of the examples i saw of the different sound types.

Cinematography

24th September 2010     Miss Lecionte

Learning objective: Show understanding of the term cinematography and how it is used within thriller films.

Lesson outcome:

All: Be able to identify and describe at least one camera element. (E)

Most: Be able to identify and explain 3 or more camera elements with examples. (C)

Some: Be able to use media language correctly to analyse the effects the camera shots have with appropriate examples. (A)

The three main elements that make up cinematography are:

-          Camera movements

-          Camera angles

-          Camera positions

Camera positions

This is an example of a Long shot (LS). This shot shows a fairly large subject (such as a person) and usually much of the surrounding. In this example you can see the characters. Also the flood is taking up half of the shot. This would help the audience to see what the character is doing as well as the location and situation their in. So this shot would help me in my thriller film because it can bring suspense to the audience by the characters actions or what position they are in. 

Here is another example of a Long shot (LS) which I took in school. This exercise helped me because now i have a rough idea about how to measure the right shot and how far or close i should be to the character for when im using a camera to film.

This is an example of an Extreme long shot (ELS). This shot is sometimes used as an establishing shot. This is because the camera is at its furthest distance from the subject, emphasising the background and also reducing the importance of the subject. In this example there is no subject but it shows us a location. This shot can help me with making a thriller film because it can show the location of my scenes. I would prefer to use this shot than I establishing shot if there was a character in the scene because although you won’t focus on the character, you will still be able to see it. This shot can be used in any part of the film, but with an establishing shot, it would usually be only at the beginning of the film.

This is an example of an Establishing shot (ES). This shot defines the location and gives the audience a perspective on the action that is to follow. This shot is similar to an extreme long shot and is used to define a genre. From this example I would determine that this would have been taking from a thriller film; this is because of the dark atmosphere. This shot will help me with my thriller film because it will make the audience determine what genre my film is. This is why I need to make my establishing shot look like it’s a thriller film. I can do this by using low key lighting like in the example.

This is an example of a Master shot (MS). This shot is similar to the establishing shot as they are both used at the beginning of a film. Although this shot is used at the beginning of the sequence as a reference point for the rest of the film. This is an example of New York City. This shows us that the location of the film will continue to be in New York City. This shot will help me in my thriller film because as it determines the location throughout the film; the buildings/atmosphere may show us the genre of the film.

This is an example of a Medium long shot (MLS). This is when the shot focus on the subject from the knees upwards. It also permits a balance between the subject and surrounding. This is an example from the film 'Unborn'. Because the shot is from her knees, it makes a balance between her and the background she is in. This shot will help me in my thriller film because if i wanted to show the character but no focus their facial reaction but their actions around the location their at then this would be the perfect shot.

This is an example of a Medium shot (MS). This is when the camera frames the actor from the waist up. This is from the film 'Friday the 13th'. This shot makes us focus more on the character than the background. This shot will help me in my thriller film because the audience focuses on the character more. So this shot would be suitable for a scene where we focus on the characters and their actions.

Here is another example of a Medium shot (MS) which I took in school. This was part of a excercise I did in class to help us to know about shots. This exercise helped me because now i have a rough idea about how to measure the right shot and how far or close i should be to the character for when im filming.

This is an example of a Close up (CU). This shows a fairly small part of the scene and emphasises on something, such as a characters face expression and neck in detail that it fills the screen. This is a scene from 'Grudge'. As you can see when you first look at the example you look at the characters face expression. This shot will help me in my thriller film because showing the characters face expression will either bring sympathy, suspense etc.

Here is another example of a Close up (CU) which I took in school. This exercise helped me because now i have a rough idea about how to measure the right shot and how far or close i should be to the character for when im filming.

This is an example of an Extreme close up (ECU). This shot singles out a portion of the face isolates detail and magnifies the minute. This example shows a scene from 'Grudge'. As you can see we focus on the eye on her face. This shot will help me in my thriller film because if I wanted to make the audience to focus on a certain feature on a character then I would use this shot. Also it allows the audience to get up and personal with the character.

This is an example of a Point of view (POV). This shot implies that the camera is looking from the eyes of the subject. This shot can help in my thriller film because it will add suspense. It also gives the audience the chance to see what’s going on form the characters eyes.

This is an example is a Two shot (TS). This shot is where two people are featured in the frame. This example is from 'Final destination'. This shot can help me when I’m making my thriller film because I can use this shot to show the audience the actions of two characters at the same time.

This is an example of an Over the Shoulder shot. This is where the camera is placed at shoulder level and is shot this way. This is an example from 'Grudge' and shows us that the character cannot see that there’s someone behind her. This shot will help me in my thriller film because it will bring suspense to the audience especially if there’s someone behind a character and they can't see.

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This is an example of an Over Head shot. This shows the subject and surrounding to get more of an impact on what’s happening. From the example this shot could also be used as a point of view shot because the two people could be looking up at someone. This shot can help me in my thriller film because it can show where a character may be heading and this may bring suspense to the audience because the character may be running away from something

Camera angles

Straight on angle is the most common angle used, an angel that is at eye line level facing straight on.

High angle shot is a shot that captures the action or subject from high up looking down.

Low angle shot is a shot that captures the action or subject frown a low angle looking up.

Camera movements

Zoom is when the camera doesn’t move and the lens is focused down from the long shot to the close up, whilst recoding. This can by used when to show an emphasise on a characters face. An example is from one Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest. Here is the URL for the clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCUmINGae44 From 53 seconds till the end the camera is zooming. This would create more sympathy to the audince because the zoom was very slow and we we're focussing on the characters face expression. 
Altough if the zooming was fast then it would make the audience focus on a certain part of the scene quicker. This type of zoom was is underneath and is from Friday the 13th. From 1.22 seconds to 1.28 seconds there is a zoom. This would make the audience feel part of the film as they are drawn in. This type of camera movement would help me in my thriller film because I can zoom in on a certain item or face expression to make the audience focus there more.





 Tracking (dollying) is when the camera itself is moved smoothly towards away from the subject while the focus remains constant. Tracking in (like zooming) draws the audience into a closer relationship with the subject, moving away tends to create emotional distance. Underneath is an example of tracking. From 11 seconds to 29 seconds shows tracking.

Tracking back tends to divert attention to the edges of the screen and the speed of tracking may affect the viewer’s mood.

Pan is when the camera moves from left to right or right to left to follow a moving subject. Underneath is an example of tracking in the film One lew Over The Cuckoo's Nest. From 36 seconds to 42 seconds panning is used. Because the camera is following the character, this can be considered tracking pan. This camera movement can help me in the making of my thriller film because it will allow me to show the audience a large part of the a scene from standing from one place.

Whip pan is when a very fast pan causes the subject to blur.

Handheld camera is used to produce a jerky, bouncy, unsteady image, which can create a sense of immediacy or chaos. This would be a good movement i my thriller film as it can cause suspese to the audiece and make them feel like they are looking at the scene from the characters point of view; so they feel part of the film. In my film i would use this type of movement as it is an easy technique to produce a sense of chaos.

Steadicam is a handheld camera worn as a kind of harness. It uses a gyroscope system to ensure the camera remains perfectly level and smooth as the camera moves. As you can see from the picture on the left, there some equipment that is needed. This is expensive and my school does not provid this so i will no be using a steadicam. My alternative to this will be a tripod. This will allow the camera not to be jerky while recording.






Tilt shot is when the camera moves up and down or down and up from a fixed axis.

Crane shot is a camera that is mounted on a crane and it moves around at a distance above ground level and it can move up or down. As you can see from this image a crane shot requires equipment that the school doesn't provide and i can't afford. So i would not be using this in my thriller film. The alternative of using a crane shot is to take the shot from a window.

 

Rolling shot is a camera that moves diagonally, which makes the image askew (often used to show that a character is drugged/drunk.)

Aerial shot is where the camera looks down on something and it is like a bird eye view shot.

I watch the opening of Face Off. Underneath is a table of the work i did in the lesson. This table shows the amount of mid shots and panning i saw in the film:

In this lesson i have learnt about cinematography. I believe that cinematography is important in makinig a film because different types of angles and positioning makes different types of effect on the audience. So by doing cinematography, i can make the audience react in a certain way of my choice. This will help me in making the opening scene of my thriller film because i can make appropriate terminology whilst evaluating my work.