Prelim Task Video

Preliminary Story Board

Script for the Preliminary Task

                    


                       Int. Scene - Police Station

Detective Amandeep walks through corridor enters room and sits on a table opposite damian. Detective Amandeep begins a conversation with damian.

            DETECTIVE AMANDEEP

                    (demandingly)

                 Why did you do this

                 

                         Damian

                 

                    I had no choice.

            DETECTIVE AMANDEEP

                  (stressing the point)

                 There’s always a choice!

                  Damian

                     (desperately)

                 but you dont understand!

                  DECTECTIVE AMANDEEP

            Well now you have to suffer the

                     consequences.

The Ring Analysis

Camera Shot/Angle/Movement 

The opening scene begins with an establishing shot of the house, where the drama takes place, it then enters inside to the room where the two girls are sitting talking where a mid shot used. While the protagonists are having a conversation, there is a series of close up shot which displays their emotions at the particular time in the scene.


Sound

The sound used in the opening scene is non-diegetic, it is a conventional sound used for horror/thriller films as it helps to create a atmosphere of suspense and tension.

Editing

In the opening scene there is a use of quick cuts that seem to fill the movie in an unpredictable order, which makes the audience unsure of what will happen next, which builds suspense. 

Mise en Scene

In the opening scene artificial lighting is used which creates the atmosphere of a horror film which matches footage. Most of the props in the scene are ordinary things which the audience can relate to for example a close-up shot of a clock, although this is a ordinary object it can represent that the protagonists are running out of time. The protagonists in the opening scene are wearing school clothes which shows they are young, innocent and vulnerable and makes the audience sympathise with protagonists. The location builds up the suspense and creates tension,  which draws the attention of the audience, the t.v is a main feature throughout the opening scene. The long shot of the protagonist shows the contrast of black and white on the walls and the floors which portrays the contrast between good and evil.

Characters

The character which shown in the opening scene is a typical stereotype for a horror character this is because she is blonde and pretty, wearing white which makes here seem pure and innocent. She is quite young which makes her seem more vulnerable. As she is young it also makes the audience sympathise with her more.

Location

In the opening scene the establishing shot shows the location which is the house where the protagonists are based.

Narrative/Plot

Four teenagers die one week after seeing a strange video. The aunt of one of the teens (also an investigative news reporter) decides to look into the mysterious death of her niece. She retraces the teenage girls steps back to a cabin where she finds and watches a strange video and makes the connection between the video, their deaths and a strange phone call that happens immediately after you watch it where a little girl says "seven days" and hangs up. Now she realises she has one week to figure out the mystery behind the video, the creator of the video and to figure out how not to die.

Themes

There are several themes that run through the opening scene of ‘The Ring’ such as death and mystery.

Visual Style

The visual style in the film is very interesting because there is a range of effects used such as zoom, low lighting throughout the opening scene and the horror music. All these help create an atmosphere for a horror film.

Genre

The genre of the film is horror/thriller, we notice this because of the conventions used such as sound, mise en scene and lighting.


genre(s):  Horror, Thriller
director:  Hideo Nakata 
film cast:  Nanako Matsushima, Miki Nakatani, Hiroyuki Sanada, Yuko Takeuchi, Hitomi Sato
distributor: ICA Projects 
running time:  96 mins

Panic Room Analysis

Genre 

The Film ‘Panic Room’ Fits in to the genre Thriller. One of the ways that this is shown is through the music in the opening scene.

Genre(s): Thriller

director:  David Fincher

film cast:  Hayden Panettier, JaredLeto, Forest Whitaker, Jodie Foster

certificate:  TBC

distributor:  Sony Picture Intl

Camera Shot/Angle Movement 

The shots and angles in the opening sequence of ‘Panic Room’ consist mainly of establishing and long shots. This is done to set the scene and show the audience where the film is based. Panning and wide shots have also been mainly included in the opening scene to show the large scale of the city.

Sound

Non-diegetic  sound is played during the opening scene of ‘Panic Room’. The sound used helps to create a sense of mystery for the viewer. The non-diegetic sound is a conventional sound for a thriller movie because of the way that the tension and fear is created through the music.

Editing 

The editing in ‘Panic Room’ shows continuous shots including wide shots and panning shots of the setting one after the other. This is done to display the scale of the city that the film is taking place in.

Mise en Scene 

The Mise en scene of ‘Panic Room’ does not fit into the thriller genre. the shots show images of city life which is done by using cars, taxis and billboards. The lighting used is natural which makes the shots seem more realistic.        

Characters
In the opening scene the characters are anonymous. And there is no hint to any character in the film. The only thing that connects us as viewers to the characters is the setting which is where the characters may live. It gives us an insight into there lives.

Location

The Location is shown in all the shots in the opening scene and are displayed as establishing shots. The setting shown is in New York. We know this because of the use of yellow taxis and the huge towering building. This may represent that the setting is an important and main part of the film. Because it dominates the majority of the shots.

Themes

Themes that are shown within the opening of ‘Panic Room’ are mystery, as not allot is given away in the scene. Other Themes included within the scene are reality because the scene gives a huge isight in to life in New York. However it does not show the reality of a specific person  or family. By doing this the the theme of mystery is still remains. 

 Narrative Plot 

We do not get shown an insight into what the narrative plot is however the music, camera shots and Mise en scene help to  show the genre of the film as they are conventional to the genre of a thriller movie.  

However the general narrative of panic : The story tells of a divorcee and her daughter who are caught in a cat and mouse game in their new york brownstone. Three burglars invade their home in search of money, resulting in mother and daughter being forced to hide in the panic room.

Saw V Analysis

Genre

‘Saw V’ is a thriller/horror. The convention used are things like a chains and torture equipment and gore such as the man being cut in half. 

Visual Style

The director in ‘Saw V’ uses darkness and the use of a torture chamber to create a disturbing and thrilling atmosphere. 

Camera Shots/angle/movement

There is range of camera shots and angels used in the opening scene. A use of ‘extreme close ups’ is used to show the expression of terror and shock on the victims face, ‘long shots’ are used to show the surroundings, there is also a use of ‘point of view to show the confusion of the victims face as he frantically looks around for a way out.

Editing 

There are fast transitions used to show panic and the way the victim is frantically and helplessly looking around. There is also edited credits that appear on screen. 

Mise en scene

The effects and props used such as dark lighting and torture equipment help to set the scene of a thriller/horror.  

Sound

Most of the sound is dialogue and screams of panic and desperation. The sound of the clock ticking is also used to heard this is a good technique as it creates the sense of panic as the man is trying to escape within 60 seconds.

Themes

The film is a horror/thriller and deals with mystery torture.

Characters:

There are only two characters in the opening scene one is a criminal who got a way with his crime this is the man who is on the death trap. The other character is a mystery and kept hidden by the shadows.

Narrative Plot:

The story Starts off with a man who is tied to a table which is a death trap. He is given the opportunity to escape in in return for crushing his hands in a machine. he is forced to do this by a mystery character who hides behind the face of a puppet.  

Location:

A torture  chamber in an abandon warehouse in an unknown location. 

SE7EN Analysis

Genre

The genre of the film ‘Se7en’ Thriller/Horror. 

The conventions of the film found in the opening sequence are gory images, the horror music and the close shots.

Visual Style

The visual style is how the director uses visuals to presents the genre (thriller/horror). The director in ‘se7en’ uses dark colours and gory images to suggest darkness and create disturbing visuals.

Editing

The opening sequence has several edits to create a dramatic scene to match the story such as quick changing transitions and blurred images, there is also credits included as text added to the scene in a horror font which again hints the genre. The pace at which the views and images change help to create a confused and disturbing atmosphere.

Camera shot/Angle/Movement

Most of the shots in the opening sequence were extreme close ups and there was little use of other shots. Most of the angels were ‘eye level’ and  had little variation.  

Mise en scene

Where there is no clear location this confuses the audience as too exactly what is going on although the props such as the razor blades photos and news reports of death suggests the film is a horror/thriller and is to do with a serial killer.  There is also a use of dark lighting which creates an unsettling atmosphere.


Sound

Disturbing music was played in the opening sequence to give it a spooky atmosphere. There is also a use of non- diegetic sound   (screeching and scratching noises) used for a dramatic effect.

Themes

A clear theme of the film is death as the opening scene shows photos of corpses and pages of news papers with reports about death, the lack of characters also suggests there is a theme of mystery. 

Character

Photos of unknown characters possibley 
victims of murder

There is an unknown character kept ambiguous throughout the opening scene however he is associated with objects to do with death such as gory images of corpses.  The only other use of characters is pictures of anonymous people. This creates a sense of mystery.

Locations

There is no clear location in the opening scene as all the shots are extreme close ups although there is evidence of it being in a darkroom (because of the photos being developed) or basement.

Narrative plot

The story starts with a man who seems to be obsessed with death as he has several images of corpses and seems to collect news paper reports of murder this tells the observer the mystery character is possibly a serial killer. He is also shown cutting the tips of his fingers which shows he is trying to cover his prints so he is not caught.

Children Of Men Opening Analysis Essay

The opening scene of ‘Children of men’ represents the future, 2027.  We see the future as being represented as grey and dull due to the lighting and the mise en scene however ,we see that there is a great deal of city life. The opening also gives the idea that the city is quite polluted due to the number of vehicles that are shown there is also allot of grey smoke coming from the cars. Furthermore the city is being represented as dirty and quite dangerous due to the number of rubbish bags lying around and the many policemen that are seen. Overall the city is shown in quite a negative way and from what is shown in the opening technology does not seem to have moved on that much. In fact some of the cars that are shown look like cars that would have been used in the olden times. However it is very clear that the city being represented is London because of the use of props such as the red bus which is an item associated with London.

During the opening scene we get introduced to the main protagonist. This is shown because throughout the opening scene the main focus is on him. Although we know that he is the main protagonist we do not yet see him as a hero or in a positive light because we see him adding alcohol into his coffee, also when the explosion happens we do not see him run to help anybody. Also his appearance is quite scruffy and he is unshaven. As a result of this he does not fit all of the established ideas of what a hero in a film should be.

The lighting used in the opening scene of Children of men is natural lighting. The natural light gives of very grey, dull lighting which creates a cold effect. The majority of the colours used in the opening scene include grey and blue and black and the fact that natural lighting has been used emphasises this. The natural lighting also helps to create a more realistic feel throughout the opening scene.  

There is not much variety of camera shots during the opening. The shots that have been used include a high angle shot, a low angle shot these two shots are followed by one continuous shot which follows the main protagonist. The continuous shots allows the audience to view the setting in one go instead of a number of different shots. The Camera shots used in the opening scene do conform to normal expectations of a major feature film; however the shaky camera effect that has been included in the opening doesn’t fit into normal expectations despite this it helps to add a realistic effect to the opening. For example when we see the camera running towards the explosion this shows how effective the unsteadiness of the camera is.

The ‘Children of men’ opening shows no editing of shots. This is because the whole opening has been filmed in one shot with a handheld camera. This creates a shaky effect which makes the opening seem more realistic. The continuous shot dominates the opening. Even though there is only one shot we see allot of the setting as there is a variety of camera angles being used. An example of this is when the camera is following the protagonist out of the shop which is where the scene starts. As the camera comes out of the shop it pans away from the protagonist and then does slow pan of the setting back to the protagonist. The fact that only one shot has been used lets viewers see the setting of the opening scene in one go instead of a number of continuous shots. Also at the end of the scene when the explosion happens the use of a handheld camera really makes the explosion seem realistic as it looks as if somebody is running towards the explosion because of the way that the camera is moving.  Editing of text has also been put over the shot showing the time and date of the opening. This shows that the setting and time that the scene is happening in is very important to the film.

The sound in the opening scene of ‘children of men’ starts off with a news reader’s voice which is a very serious tone to start off with. There is no music to start off with however, the music gradually comes in and is very touching music. This is done because it matches the mood of what is happening in the shot at the at that moment. As the camera slowly moves out of the shop which is where the scene starts we hear the sound of the city mostly cars and people talking. The transition from the heart-rending and harmonious music to the sound of the loud city shows that something may happen very quickly. The differences between the music change the whole mood of the shot dramatically. Although there is sound in the opening scene it is not conventional music for

The mise-en-scene in the opening scene of ‘children of men’ Helps represent where the scene is set. The use of the red buses clearly shows viewers that the scene is in London. The lighting is natural however it is very cold and makes the setting look very dirty and grey. Also the use of props such as the bin bags on the floor show that the city at this time is very dirty and backs up what the colour suggests. The scene shows allot of use of the colours grey, blue and black which makes the shot look very dull and boring, this contrast with the bright and dramatic explosion that happens at the end of the scene. Not only are the colours in the city very dull and dreary but the characters that are in the scene all seem to be wearing very dull colours also this suggests a sense of grieving and sadness. During the shot we see two sets of police men which give the impression that the city may be quite dangerous or allot of crime may happen.  The smoke coming out of the cars also makes it seem like the city could be quite polluted not only that but the cars seem to be cars which the audience would not expect to be used in the period that the film is being in shot in which is meant to be the future. It shows that maybe people are moving back in time. However the moving images that are on the side of the building and the buses help to represent that the scene is set more in the future. There is a sense of opposition in the setting.