First editing session

Today we had our first editing session. We firstly inserted the clips that we required and later on we will edit the clips and sound.

Mise en Scene mood board

 This is a group of images which reflect aspects of our thriller. It contains mostly Enzo's appearance as she is a very complex character. It also describes how props will lead to the audience feeling certain ways.

Filming Plan for 27th November

Our plans have slightly changed within our thriller opening as we have realised that it included too much content which we may not be able to fit into the two minute time slot. Therefore we have Cut out the park scene, and instead Freddie goes straight from his room to see his friend where he ends up getting shot. I have produced a rough outline for our filming to night so we can efficiently get through filming and make sure it all runs smoothly.

SCENE ONE - BEDROOM:

1. OTS of Freddie talking

2. OTS of Enzo talking

3. SHOTS ALREADY FILMED OF ENZO PULLING OUT BOX

4. Close up of Freddie

5. OTS of Freddie talking

6. Mid shot of the two

7. *KNOCKING ON THE DOOR* close up of Freddie worried

8. Mid shot - Enzo is gone

9. POV of Freddie talking

SCENE TWO OF THE DAY - WALKING DOWN ROAD AND TOO THE DOOR:

1. Wide shot of Freddie walking down the road

2. Long shot of Freddie walking up to the door

3. Close up of the hand knocking on the door

4. Mid shot of friend opening the door

5. close up of corner of the gun

6. Mid shot of Freddie pulling out the gun

7. close up down barrel of gun

8. BLACK

9. Low angle / Long shot of Enzo walking away holding the gun

SCENE THREE OF THE DAY - LIVING ROOM UNTIL FREDDIE ARRIVES:

1. Mid shot of Friend one receiving a text from Freddie

2. Close up of the text

3. Mid shot of Friends talking

4. Mid shot of the friends turning to the door

The Sixth Sense Trailer

Throughout the opening slow music is used, this creates suspense for the audience and puts them 'on the edge of their seat'. This will therefore intrigue them and lead to watching the film as they wish to know the whole narrative. 

This slow music is then paired with a heart beat. This creates tension and an eerie feeling for the audience and in turn also raises their heart beat. This is an effective convention often used in thrillers as it puts the audience on edge and indicates something dramatic is about to happen.

The little boy mostly whispers in this trailer, it creates a scary feeling. Children in thrillers are stereotypically associated with being antagonists, however for this trailer y

ou can see that the child is helping people (in an eerie way).

The trailer also contains the iconic quote of 'I see dead people'. This will lead to audiences wanting to see the film as they have heard the quote. Therefore if they have heard the quote, then the film must be successful and good.

A close up of the boys face is used within the trailer to show his distress. It portrays him as protagonist within the film, but he is also in danger. This will lead the the audience emphasising with him as he is only a child, and is in need of help.

A shot is used of the hands appearing to show the supernatural aspect of the film- this is a convention of thrillers. It will put the audience on edge as something creepy is happening but they do not yet know what. This will therefore create mystery and lead to the audience seeing the film as they wish to know more.

Ratings are shown within the trailer, these will again lead to the audience wanting to see it as other people have enjoyed it. 

The Departed Trailer

A close up of a gun is used; this indicates that there is crime within the film, which is a convention of thrillers. It indicates to the audience that the film will be full of tension and crime.

Fast paced editing is used at the start of the trailer when the police are being shown. This contrasts the crime throughout as it shows that the police are taking control over the situation. However it also indicates that there could be corrupt cops within the film.

Dialogue of a character stating ‘this is who we are after’ is paired with a close up of the person’s mug shots. This indicates to the audience that the plot will be about trying to hunt the man down. This will engage them as they wish to know what he is done wrong, and if he is caught in the end.

The title of this film is within a gun. This again is a typical prop of thrillers as it indicates crime to the audience. It also foreshadows that the film will include lots of gun fights/scenes.

Happy and classical music is used in this trailer. This contrasts the action taking place and creates an sinister feeling.

Inception Trailer

The background music within this trailer is fast paced string music with dramatic base tones. This combination creates tension for the audience and indicates that the film will be suspenseful and dramatic. At the end of this trailer the string music fades out and just the large base tones are left. This creates a dramatic atmosphere for the audience as there are aspects of silence. 

The trailer uses all fast paced editing, this adds to the tension created by the sound. As it is fast paced it indicates that the film will be exciting and suspenseful.

Throughout the start of the trailer there is also a voice over of Cobb (Leonardo Dicaprio), this begins to tell the narrative to the audience. It also shows that there is a big star within the film, this could attract the audience to watch it as they are fans. This is also paired with a mid-shot of him to indicate that he is the main character and that the plot will revolve around him.

A close up of the spinner is used within the trailer to indicate that it will have huge importance within the plot. However the audience do not find out what it is, which leads to mystery. This will engage the audience with the trailer and lead to them wanting to see the film.

A wide shot of the town closing over has been used. This indicates to the audience that the plot will revolve around the imaginary/dream worlds. This will entice the audience, as they will want to know what it means.

Shots are used to tell the audience that it is made by ‘The Director of The Dark Knight’. People who enjoyed the Dark Knight will then be interested by inception, as it is of the same genre and quality.

Filming date - 23rd November

This sunday we planned a filming date, the whole group turned up but unfortunately Tom (Freddie) couldn't attend last minute. However we still managed to practise the full look of Enzo, film part of a scene and start the opening credits. We are now planning another filming session after school on Thursday (27th November).

Shutter Island Trailer

 Firstly slow motion has been used. This makes the characters seem very dramatic and indicates they are the main characters as the attention is focused onto them. A mid shot is used within this slow motion, this allows each person to clearly be seen. You can also see each persons costume which clearly depicts each opens role. For example a police officer, and two detectives. It also allows the audience to also see the very strict prison like background. This therefore shows the audience that the film will be filled with danger. 

Fade to black's are used throughout, for example when a gun is shown. This is a hint that the gun may be significant and will later lead to a dark moment. And also establishes that the next shot is a completely different scene and therefore the woman has no relation to the gun.

Fast paced editing has been used when there was a very quick shot (less than a second) of a woman covered in blood. This gives the trailer a very eerie feeling and shows that someone is going to get hurt/has already been. It also comes and goes very quickly and therefore makes the audience jump - a typical thriller convention. The Mise en scene in this shot has also been used effectively. The woman is smiling which gives a very freaky and insane feeling to the shot as she is covered in blood. As well as the blood being red her clothes are also red. This is a connotation of death and danger and therefore illustrates that she could be dangerous and the blood may not be hers.

The wide shot used within the trailer shows the audience that the characters are going to be extremely isolated. This is a forewarning that the characters will be in danger and unable to receive any help. You can also see their white clothing, this is usually a sign of innocent, but within the mental institute it is a sign of insanity. This also shows that the characters may become insane.

The sound within this trailer varies a lot. For example there are some very fast paced aspects (when the shots are fast paced), this puts the audience on edge and creates tension. However there are also very dramatic base tones which suddenly come to a silence. this indicates that the film is going to be extremely dramatic and will therefore entice the audience to watch it. Screams are also placed in the background to show there is a lot of danger and the character will not be safe. It also creates a very mad feeling and clearly shows insanity will play a key role.

I feel the credits within the trailer are very ineffective. the are just on a plain background and therefore not very interesting. However it does allow attention to be drawn just to the trailer, therefore making it seem more dramatic. 

Final Cut Practise - Pirates of the Caribbean Trailer

Trailer

I have used Final cut pro for the first time to practise using it. I also  used Final cut pro to edit this trailer. The trailer is Pirates of the Caribbean the Curse of the Back Pearl. As a group we have decided to use this programme over iMovie for our editing for our thriller film opening. We have decided this because we feel its more professional and allows us to use many different types of editing then iMovie.

Final cut pro practice trailer: Pirates of the Caribbean

This is my first time editing a video and using Final Cut Pro, we used this to create our own trailers of Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl

Final cut practise - Pirates of the Caribbean trailer

I practised using final cut pro for the first time by creating a trailer for Pirates of the Caribbean - The Curse of the Black pearl. We did this to help us decide whether we wish to use iMovie or Final cut pro to edit our thriller openings. I have decide to use final cut pro as i have managed to understand jot and work it. It also gives you a lot more options to edit with, which would therefore give our opening a more professional look.

Enzo and Freddie

I have done a character profile for Enzo and Freddie

Understanding and Using Mise-en-Scene

Mise-en-Scene is a French expression for "put into the scene". It's everything that the audience can see on screen which consists of the most known features. This can be broken down into categories: costume, location, setting, scenery, props, lighting, actors and framing.

I have learnt from this article the importance of MES in a movie as every single aspect can make a big difference when clearly thought through.
The first example in the article compares a Batman movie from 1960's and one from 2012, I can see how clear the difference is from the two movies from MES as firstly the colours are very different. In the 1960's version it's more brightly coloured which suggests its more light-hearted, childish and more related to the comic books. The bright colours takes away the seriousness that a thriller would have but from this the audience can already guess what kind of feel they'll see in the film. Also, the setting is much more cramped and small which suggests it was cheaply made, and the tights Batman and Robin wear again gives off the childish and cartoon feel.

However, in the 2012 version the location and setting in the prison is huge and looks like it was shot in a real prison, which instantly should tell you that it's more serious and realistic than the older version. The colour used is much darker and grainy like blacks and greys, with plenty of shadowing which adds to the typical creepy thriller theme. The costumes like Batman's are more detailed and tougher looking, adding to the scary and serious tone and the framing of the characters is definitely more studied as a less important character is in the background, unfocused whereas Bruce is closer and clearer.

The next example in the article is of the movie Submarine (2010) which tells you a lot about the importance of props to costumes as you can learn so much about a character from little details. For example in Oliver's room there are props that suggest he's still a child at heart but also some props that suggest he's entering adulthood and growing up. The neat bed and props that are placed around his room can tell you more of his personality and hobbies. The neat covers can tell you he's clean and a perfectionist, the telescope, mobile of solar system and skeleton can tell you Oliver's interested in science. The costumes are again well chosen as the colours of Oliver and Jordanna's coats can tell you more about their personality and mood with dark and bright colours. Also Oliver's parents wear very dull colours which can tell you they're dull and boring people.

Lastly, the articles gives us ideas and inspiration of how we can use MES in our thriller films, although it tells us to be more creative with locations and costumes, it doesn't really apply to us as our film is supposed to be about a regular, everyday boy living a regular life which just takes a turn. But we have thought more about the settings as we intend to make it darker and also darker clothes, such as Freddy, he will be wearing basic black & white so he looks normal but the black could hint to a different side of his personality. Enzo will look completely different, more run down and skinny/dead looking so audience can guess she is not real. The friends who like him will be wearing bright clothes to suggest their personalities and the friends who dislike him will be wearing black clothes. The only props we will really be using are phones and a fake gun. The phone can relate to the young audience we're targeting and the gun is because it relates back to the thriller theme and is part of our big plot twist at the end.

Mood board of locations

Using http://glogster.com I created a mood board of our locations. These 3 locations are at my house, but we also have another at a park which i have not yet got a photo of.

Understanding and Using Mise-en-scene article summary

The first example in this article are two versions of batman: 1960's TV version and Christopher Nolan's, The Dark knight rises (2012). The difference between how mise en scene is used in these two versions clearly depicts the sophistication of each. The TV series has the characters wearing bright, 'garnish and cartoonish' colours. Where as in The Dark Knight Rises the location looks more realistic and the colours are a lot more dark to reflect the tone of the scene. These differences allow the audience to establish what mood they should be feeling whether it is 'light hearted ' or something more 'serious'.

The second example is Submarine (2010). From the very begging of the film the audience are shows subtle indications to Oliver's personality. This scene is showing that the background of a shot is extremely important to manipulate the audiences views, as Oliver's personality was clearly complex from the items which he possessed. Firstly he had toys which indicated he was quite young, but also had lots of very large books and scientific items to suggest his intelligence was above just a child. The costumes within Submarine also play a key role, His duffle coat (associated with nerds) was always worn and allows the audience to understand his character. The costumes of his parents are also very important, they wear very ragged and run down clothes. This implies how Oliver thinks of his parents, and therefore costume also establishes relationships.

The article also summarises and gives inspiration of how to successfully use mise-en-scene in our own film. It suggests we are creative with locations and consider any relatives or friends who may work somewhere interesting. The locations in our film do not necessarily reflect this, this is due to it being about a normal boy who is supposedly living a normal life. Therefore  I feel it would be inappropriate to shoot in an un-ordinary location.

Secondly the article talks about the scenery and how we should carefully consider what is in the background. We have done this within our film, for example in the bedroom scene I have re-arranged furniture to make the space more 'filmable' while also removing any items which don't suit Freddie's personality. We will also have hints of his life as there will be boxes of stolen items and a messy room to show he is not sane.

Thirdly when the article mentions costumes it suggests we should not just be 'wearing the clothes we happened to be in at the time' but actually consider how our outfit would reflect the characters personality. We have carefully considered this aspect. For example Freddie (played by Tom) will be wearing a mixture of black (associated with evil and darkness) and white (associated with innocence). This will make it unclear to the audience whether he is an antagonist or protagonist and therefore confuse/intrigue the audience which are key conventions of thriller films. Friend one and two (the supportive friends) will be wearing white, to establish that they are good) where as friend three will be wearing black to show her as cruel and un supportive. Finally Enzo's makeup has been carefully planned and practised many times on our blog - she will look very run down, skinny and tired. Her hair will be very messy and big to show her insanity. Finally her costume will be all black to show that she is the antagonist.

According to the article the props we place with each character will 'develop' them and 'provide visual interest'. We have included items such as phones as their are associated with our target audience and will therefore engage them as they will feel they have similarities with the characters. We have also included a (fake) gun to add some excitement to the opening. Gun scenes are typical of thrillers are created suspense and tension which will engage the audience.

Mood Board

This is my mode board foucsing on The look/costume, props and locations. We have used audience research to help figure out these important specific parts to our thriller opening "Iluzio". I have done this mood board to show the specific parts that are going to make this a thriller film and keep the key conventions in that a thriller has.

Group Roles

Amy: Friend 1, Props & Enzo's Make-up

Phoebe: Friend 2, Props & Enzo's Hair
Holly: Friend 3 & Costume for friend 1-3

Amelia: Enzo and her costume.

Tom (extra): Freddie, responsible for his own costume

We have assigned these roles as it was logical for each person. Firstly Amy' house is the location where we will film and therefore she is responsible for organising that, as well as providing the gun. She is also responsible for re-creating Enzo's makeup on each filming date as the products are at her house. Secondly Phoebe is responsible for recreating the look of the hair using different curlers, She will also provided the 'stolen items' for the box which plays a key role within the opening. Thirdly Holly chose which colour everyone will wear, to help portray their personalities. For example Friend one will wear black jeans and a white vest top, this is to convey that she is pure, good and the protagonist of the group. However the whole friendship group will wear black jeans to create a common factor and identify them as a group. Friend three will be in black, this was to portray that she was the antagonist of the friendship group. Friend two will wear mixture of black jeans and bright colours to show that she is neither good or bad and the centre of the friendship group. Enzo is responsible for her own costume as we all decided she should be in black. The leather jacket shows that she is reckless and mysterious. Finally our actor Freddie will wear a light grey hoodie with black jeans as a metaphor for his split personality.

Understanding and Using Mise-en-scene

What is Mise en scene?

Mise en scene encompasses the most recognizable attributes of a film – the setting and the actors; it includes prop, costumes, make-up, location and all the other natural and artificial details that are needed. The term is borrowed from a French theatrical expression, meaning roughly “put into the scene”. In other words, mise-en-scene describes whats going on in the frame and the way it is shown and also arranged. The four general areas: setting, lighting, costume and props are very important to make up Mise-en-scene. 

What have i learnt from The article?

This article goes into huge depth about the unseen parts and meanings in films. I can see a clear divide in these two images of the Batman films. The first image in 1960 shows poor quietly and a cramped area and the clothing suggests they don't want to be taken seriously. Whereas Nolan's Dark Knight Rises, 2012 version the location and setting is clear and massive, and also shows a better location then the older batman, which instantly tells the audience that its more realistic than the older version. Batman demonstrates a clear open space and that the clothing is showing us he's smart and knows what he is on about, which again helps us see that he's serious. You can see as the years have gone on the technology has grow and the quality and aspects of films have developed. I can clearly see that the props in each scene in any film is playing a huge part of giving clues to the target audience for them to relate and also to identify with the character. Within a few seconds we can already tell what the character is like and what he enjoys. For example Oliver, we can tell likes things to be neat and tidy and also possibly likes to write as he has a type writer, also may have a interest in boats. I also learnt that having costumes on characters is a very key aspect to any film. 

As you need to think of the colours they are wearing and what that colour represents e.g. red could be danger. Costume tells the audience what the person is like, so we see there personality coming throw. 

I also learnt that location's are limited because they need to fit in with the film. Locations also show the audience where the live and where the like to go and also the locations will realer to the story. Framing also plays a he part of Mise en scene because its important to have the right place./ You need to make sure you have the right view of the props and the location and that their whole body fits in the shot thats being filmed.

The article the props we place with each character will 'develop' them and 'provide visual interest'. Within our film we have included props like phones as their are associated with our target audience and hopefully this will help the audience engage and identify themselves in one of our characters. Mise en scene can be used to improve and scene and a whole film by just changing the colour of a top, to the location being dark which would set the mode for the whole scene.