29/01/14

On Thursday the 23rd of January we successfully did bits of shooting backstage in the hall. This is because it fitted our needs for an asylum looking place, as it was very plain, and had access to scenery and props.

On Friday 24th January we went to Apex to film, but the park being waterlogged in all possible areas of filming prevented us from doing so. We have now changed our filming in the Apex to Friday 31st January, we will be doing filming at Sophie's house sometime next week.

On Wednesday the 29th of January we successfully did bits of shooting for hall shots, featuring characters walking down the hall. This is for the inside of the Asylum.

22/01/14

Filming/Editing Schedule

In today's Lesson we made a Filming/Editing schedule as seen below:

Thursday 23rd Jan	Hall (Backstage)
Friday 24th Jan	Apex
Tuesday 28th Jan	Apex (Finish)
Wednesday 29th Jan	Hall
Thursday 30th Jan	Manor (Sophie, Shannon)
Friday morning 31st Jan	Shannon’s house (Lester, Shannon)
Friday Afternoon 31st Jan	Sophie’s house
Tuesday 4th Feb	Manor (All)
Wednesday 5th Feb	Editing
Thursday 6th Feb	Editing
Friday 7th Feb	Editing + last bit of filming
Monday-Friday 10th-14th Feb	Finish editing.

This is a very useful schedule as we have planned from today, up to the deadline what we are going to be doing towards our opening scene. This also shows that we are using our time effectively, and it shows when we need to be finished by, allowing us to improve on our time management. It also tells us when we need to be editing, as we will need to start that hopefully when filming is finished. Provided we use our time wisely.

Deadline- 14th Feb

17/01/14

All of our blog work is now up to date, we can get on and begin filming now! Before the lesson is finished, we are now going to spend the time to look for a suitable room to begin our opening scene of filming. We will stay on-site while we search!

Coursework idea/group contribution

All of us in our groups shared our ideas that we came up with for our coursework piece, The genre had to be a psychological thriller. We used Todorov's Theory to layout our piece.

My idea:

Equilibrium: Daniel wakes up in his apartment, alone with no one there he gets ready for work and leaves. Driving to work and spending the whole day working in the bank.

Disruption: Daniel on his way home stops at a cafe to get something to eat and drink. Although he goes to the toilets, and whilst in there, something possesses him to kill a man that's in the toilets as well. With no memory of what happened, he has control of his body once again, standing over sme mans body. He panics and runs out the cafe. A police inspector comes to the scene of the crime after the body has been found, and quickly tracks down the killer (Daniel).

Recognition of disruption: Now on the run from the police, Daniel manages to buy a little bit of time and sneak around to find out what happened to him that night. After finding clues leading him to the truth, he soon realises that it's not just the police that are after him, he is now being hunted by the people that possessed  him. In an attempt to hide the truth from anyone. As the Police investigator tracks down Daniel, finding the same clues that Daniel has found along the way, the inspector soon realises that something strange is happening. After then going through a strange experience of finding Daniel and nearly being killed by an entity trying to kill Daniel, the inspector is fully convinced that Daniel is innocent, and offers help.

Attempt to repair disruption: In an attempt to repair what has happened, Daniel finds the truth lies in the heart of the base of the organisation that are hunting him. With no hesitation, he devises a plan with the inspector to get inside, as he does he is captured and the leader of the organisation reveals what it all is, and why he was possessed. Daniel recognises his face, who he turned out to be someone in the cafe that night. At that point he is about to kill Daniel using a different entity (used to possess people), when the inspector intervenes, there is a fight between the inspector and the leader, when Daniel breaks free and kills the leader.

Reinstatement of the equilibrium: Daniel is cleared of all charges, the inspector shakes his hand and they both go back to their normal lives.   

Having said my Idea with the group, we decided to choose another group members, but I have contributed well to that, and chosen the font for the title and helped in deciding the different camera shots, and editing affects to use in our storyboard. We are all making our fair share of contributions and ideas.

Todorov's Theory

Today we learnt about Todorov's Theory.
Todorov's Theory is a set of five stages that most films follow to set out the story. These five stages are:

1.Equilibrium- The setting is established and characters are introduced to the story. The story is also set up.

2.Disruption- The oppositional characters appear, the story takes a different direction.

3.Recognition of disruption- Lives of characters and events interact. Tension is built throughout and is often the longest sequence.

4.Attempt to repair disruption- The highest point of tension and a change in the dynamic follows.

5.Reinstatement of equilibrium- Everything is sorted out, all problems are solved and questions are answered.

Analysis of 'The Sixth Sense'

Opening sequence Analysis

 

 

Before the beginning of the opening credits in the short sequence of the film “The Sixth Sense,” while it is showing the company logo, tension is being built. They do this by not playing any music; it is in complete silence as the opening credits begin. Already at this point the viewer is feeling insecure and a sense of fear around them, due to the silence. This also gives a supernatural atmosphere to the viewer, foreshadowing what the film is about to the viewer.

 

It begins with the opening credits, fading in and out. The opening credits are white and the background is dark as the opening credits go on. These binary oppositions contrast and set the scene for the events ahead (woman in purple gown and gloomy set), this gives the effect that they are being taken in by the darkness, and this creates a dark atmosphere for the viewer, as darkness also relates to danger, and by this they now know that this film is not a happy film. The audience are gripped by the darkness and drawn into it immediately, as the credits seem to spread out before they fade into the darkness. This catches the attention of the viewers and keeps their eyes fixed on the screen; it also makes the viewer feel uncomfortable as the credits are uncontrollably zooming towards them, surrounding them in tension. The contrasting colours of black and white also do this well by using editing effects. The non-diegetic sound of the music also adds to the effect, as it is very dark and eerie, creating an uncomfortable atmosphere for the audience, as they also become more aware of their own surrounding, also changing their mood from when there was no non diegetic sound, as they feel more paranoid and on edge.

 

As soon as the title “The sixth sense” fades in, it is blurry and shaded before it fades out. The dark and sinister music also increases in tempo and becomes more dramatic. These relates to what the film is about, stereotypically a ghost would appear in the same way, as did the title and disappear. The viewers, at this point, are scared, as the sudden change in music and its volume shocks the audience as they may not expect it to happen. After the title has appeared, the music changes in pitch and tempo, this puts the audiences mind at ease, and lets them think about what it going to happen in the film, and what might be encountered during it.  

 

 The non diegetic sound of music fades out as soon as the opening scene begins with a close up shot of a light blub slowly fading in. This shows the light bulb in more detail, and this also makes the audience think about what will happen in this scene, and creates an uncertain mood among them. It will also make the audience question the scene, as they can only see the light bulb in great detail and not the rest of the set; it also has nothing covering it, which gives the impression that this is an uncomfortable scene. By the camera filming a long shot behind the wine rack as the character enters, and using a tracking dolly it follows the character. This gives an impression to the viewer that the character that has entered the scene is being watched and is not alone in the room. It also makes the audience feel very uneasy, as the character feels she is not alone in the room, and quite vulnerable, especially when she then turns her back on the wine rack.  

Using a dark and gloomy setting around with no colour, this short sequence uses ‘Mise en scene’. This is because the characters costume is a purple dress, this colour contrasts with the dark setting, and draws the attention from the audience onto her, and also tells them that she should not be there as she does not “fit in” to her surroundings. The lighting in this scene is dark and makes the setting look abandoned, and her bright purple dress standing out shows that she is dressed for a special occasion elsewhere.

 

 

Before the character walks up to the wine rack she hesitates, which tells the viewer that she is uncomfortable being down in the basement, and that she senses that something is behind the wine rack, the fact that she is filmed using a close up shot allows the viewer to see the character’s emotions very clearly, meaning that the audience mirrors her fear and, therefore, starts to worry themselves. It also gives the effect that something is watching her when the character is looking at the wine bottles on the rack. The camera follows her as she moves up and down to find the bottle she wants. This makes the audience feel uneasy, and also keeps the effect that she is being watched. The character then hears a non-diegetic sound effect of something falling on the floor, and something dragging across the floor, the sound is non-diegetic because the audience can’t actually see what has fallen, making the viewer feel confused and scared about what has and what might happen. The camera then zooms in to a close up, at this point the audience know that she has been alerted, and can see her facial expressions, telling the audience that she is scared, and frightened.

 

After the character turns her back on the wine rack, the camera cuts to a mid-shot, to see the front of the character, her shadow is in the background, where it is mostly darkness. The lighting is in bars, giving the effect that whatever is in the room with her has already caught her. Her shadow gives quite a sinister effect to the audience, relating to one of the main aspects of the film, again relating to the thriller genre of the film and what the film is about. Her being confined by the darkness builds tension and makes the audience feel paranoid, expecting something to jump out at her from the darkness.

 

 The camera then cuts to a long shot. There is an open space in the set around the character; this shows that the she is even more helpless and vulnerable in the open space, as she also looks around the set. This tells the viewer that she is worried and has no idea if anything is there. This also makes the viewers feel insecure and worried for the character. Also by using a long shot of the camera, it shows the dark side of the stairs and the set, this may also shows that it is hiding in the darkness; this makes the viewer feel nervous and suspicious of the surrounding area including the dark spots around them. This is also shown from the other side of the wooden staircase, giving the effect again that someone is now watching her from there. This is also shown by a complete change in her characteristics. Before she looked more at ease, but now she seems cold and shivering, as she senses that something is not right. Telling the audience that maybe she is not alone in the basement. The diegetic sound effect of heavy breathing also tells the audience that she as a character is frightened and feels vulnerable in her position. The character then holds the bottle close to her chest; this could be her comforting herself because at this moment she is fearful. The character then quickly walks out and up the stairs. This makes the audience feel very uneasy as she is unknowingly walking towards what ever is by the stairs. This also shows that she is still frightened and wants to leave quickly, as she is unaware if anything is by the stairs. On the wall behind the character there is a light shining. With the viewer already nervous and on the edge of their seats, this bright part of the wall draws their attention as they will be focused on the character, it seems to look like a face or some sort of ghostly mist  to the viewer until they see it. This relates again to what the film is based on, and to what’s happened in this opening sequence, it plays with the viewer’s mind.

All these things are typical of a thriller genre because it is dark, this makes the viewer feel vulnerable and scared, and this is done by various things such as the eerie music and dark and gloomy set. It also makes them paranoid of their surroundings using different camera positioning, making it look as if the character is being watched. This may make the viewer feel like they are being watched.

 

Editing Techniques

Long takes:
Takes of an unusually long length, i.e. more than a few seconds. Very common due to the use of digital cameras.

Short takes:
Takes that only last for a few seconds.

Cut:
An abrupt transition from one shot to another, the simplest and most frequent editing technique in which one shot is immediately replaced by another.

Cross cutting:
Cutting back and forth between two or more scenes, events or actions that are taking place simultaneously. Used to build suspense or to show how two scenarios are related.

Cutaways:
A cut away from the primary subject to something of equal or greater relevance to the scene. Often consist of shots showing the character reactions from one person to another. This compresses time.

Dissolve:
An overlapping transition between scenes where one images fades out as another fades in, usually used to indicate a change in time and/or location.

Fade in:
A shot that starts in darkness and gradually lightens to full exposure

Fade out:
A shot that starts at full exposure and fades to darkness.

Wipe: 
One picture chases another off the screen.

Freeze frame:
When a particular frame is repeatedly printed, which halts or "freezes" the action.

Jumps cut: 
A cut where two spliced shots do not match in time or place. A jump cut gives the effect that the camera is jumping around.

Reverse cutting:
A technique that alternates over-the-shoulder shots showing different characters speaking. Used in conversational scenes.

Sequence shot: 
An entire scene or sequence that is one continuous camera shot, there is not editing.