Soundtrack Research

Today we researched into some sound effects and opening sequences with soundtracks to get an idea of what we need to make. Next lesson we will start creating our soundtrack using garageband.
We looked on websites which have sound loop files of the city as we need city sounds. One website which we found had many different sound files for us to use.
This is the website which we found these files on: http://soundbible.com/tags-city.html

The same site is where we found good sound files for our alley way scene which made it sound eerie and scary. http://soundbible.com/tags-scary.html  This website was very good and gave us many sound files which we can use in our opening sequence.

Editing

Today we started editing the opening sequence. We organised the shots into order which made it easier to decide where to put them. We have started cutting the first few shots and put them into place to make a good beginning. We have also started looking at soundtracks for the film and ideas we can use.

The impossible- Thriller Movie

At the weekend I went to the cinema and watched The Impossible which is a thriller movie about a family who are caught in the 2004 tsunami. The beginning of the movie is based on the aeroplane where the family are shown. This is when the main characters are introduced to the film. It also sets scene for where the family are going to be going on holiday as it shows the aeroplane and the flight attendant tells people to take their seats as they are going to be landing in Thailand. As the audience we are shown the sea a lot because this is obviously where the big wave came from which caused a lot of mayhem.
They posed on the audiences biggest fears whether it is being hit by the tsunami, loosing their family, drowning or being in pain. The sounds were loud and it felt very life like as if we were actually there witnessing the horror. Overall it captured the audience’s attention throughout the movie and the film used good thriller techniques to make it a thriller movie.

Max Payne Extract- Sound

Max Payne Extract

Shot No. 1- Non- digetic sound- You cannot see what is making the music but the theme tune is well known to people because it is the company theme tune. 

Shot No. 2- Off screen dialogue/ sound- It makes the audience focus on what the person is saying more because there is a blank screen so there is nothing else to focus on. This makes the audience realise the words that are being said are important to listen to. The wind in the background sets the scene up for the audience and makes it more eerie.

Shot No. 3- Digetic Sound, Parallel sound- The sound shows the audience what is going on and is part of the film world. The sound matches what is happening in the film (max drowning) which makes the audiences emotional response match what is happening and creates a particular atmosphere.

Shot No. 4- Digetic Sound- You can hear the splashing of water which shows the audience he is drowning and trying to stay on top of the water. Makes the audience feel what Max is feeling (panic).

Shot No. 5- Digetic Sound- The sound that is coming from max is choking and heavily breathing. This shows the audience what is actually happening and how serious it is.

Shot No. 6- Parallel Sound, Digetic Sound- Max is falling through the water so the sounds of rippling water as he is being submerged shows the audience what is really happening in the film.

Shot No. 7- Off- Screen Sound/ Dialogue, Diegetic Sound- When Max is talking it is off screen dialogue. This makes the audience hear what is being said but they cannot see who is talking. They can make out who is talking as there is a man falling through the water. You can still hear the rippling of water in the background. This makes the audience know that something has happened even though there is dialogue.

Shot No. 8- Non- Diegetic sound- Even though the audience can hear the baby crying and the chimes they can’t see what is actually causing these sounds. This manipulates the audiences response to what is happening.

Shot No. 9- Diegetic sound, Non- Diegetic sound- The audience can hear the baby crying and the chimes but can’t see what is making the sounds. But they can hear the footsteps of the man walking.

Shot No. 10- Diegetic sound, Off screen sound/ dialogue- The audience can see Max drowning and hear the rippling water; this is Diegetic sound because you can see what is making the sound. But the dialogue is still happening and this is off screen because the audience can’t see who is talking.

Shot No. 11- Diegetic sound- The audience can hear the creaking of the door as Max opens it and then the whooshing sound as the light comes through.

Shot No. 12- Non- Diegetic sound- The audience can hear the sound of the clocks ticking and the chimes ringing but they cannot see where it is coming from. This makes them think why these sounds are being made. The ticking from the clock could mean something to do with time running out.

Shot No. 13- Non- Diegetic sound- The man who is drowning becomes on screen which then gives the idea that this is the person who is speaking in the dialogue.  You can still hear the chimes and clock in the background which is Non- Diegetic sound because it is not known in the film world.

Shot No. 14- Diegetic sound- The wind chimes become noticeable and on screen to the audience and we can see what is making the sound. There are baby toys on the chime which then makes the audience think back to the crying of the baby. The audience can also see what is making the wind sound as in the background you can see the curtains moving in the wind.

Shot No. 15- Sound Bridge- The sound bridge makes the audience think about what’s going to happen and what they are going to see next before they see it. The screen is completely blank and they can hear sirens and cars.

Shot No. 16- Diegetic sound- The audience can see what is making the sounds- police sirens and cars driving. They can see who is talking and where all the sounds come from.

The Phantom Of The Opera Opening Sequence

In the phantom of the opera the lighting during the beginning of the film is dark and black and white. This makes us think it is old and dusty there. Even though it is black and white we can see the lighting effects on some of the actors. The old man in the wheelchair has one side of his face lit up and the other side dark quite a lot of the time which could show that there is a dark side to him/ his character. The light on the old lady's face is full and bright which shows she is important and gives us an idea that she is a main character. When the chandelier lights are turned on we are shown how they are directly shone onto the old man in the wheelchair and the old lady. This shows us that they play an important part in the movie. We can see this because their faces are shown by the camera how much they are lit up. At this point all the lights are shone onto them at all angles. When everything lights up the audience is guided around the theatre by everything suddenly being lit up and colourful again. This catches the audience’s attention because the scene is suddenly changing. We can see the lighting on the other people is less bright as they are not important characters and it is showing that.

The sounds are eerie and echoed when the characters speak. This shows the audience the building is empty because there is nothing for the sound to absorb into in the building. When the music starts it is quiet when the man starts singing and the camera is focused on the monkey. This shows the monkey is important and should be focused on. When the instruments start the music is strong and bold when everything starts lighting up. This shows the audience that it is an important. The music is non- diegetic because we cannot see where the source of the music is in the film world. Whereas the banging of the hammer when the auction is taking place is diegetic sound as the source of the noise can be seen in the film world.

At the beginning of the film the director has used props to make the mise en scene. The old cars show the time in which the movie is set and so do other aspects such as the wheelchair as it is clearly not from present day. The costumes show us the social status of the characters which is upper class and also again show the audience what day in age it was in. We can also see the man in the wheelchair is ill because he has a nurse with him and is wearing a blanket over his legs to keep him warm. The old man and women are wearing very posh clothes and are nicely kept which shows us they are quite well off. The birds flying around and the spider webs contribute to the mise en scene in the film. It causes the audience to think that the building is old and not in use anymore. When the audience are being shown the second scene when everything outside is light, even though it is in colour it is older than before because of the props used again, such as the a horse and carriage. The outfits and costumes again were older. You could clearly see the difference between the social classes as some of the men were dressed in red rich clothing and then there were workers in basically rags and overalls.

The Rock- Camera Movement

The camera is placed low down and looking up this produces a low angle shot the effect of this is that the audience feel a sense urgency and him being taller than use suggests power. We track backward with him as he runs. This means that the audience feel like they are part of the action. We see a gun and men with walkie-talkie in shot. This gives a sense of action genre as these items are key signifiers.

  The camera is on the floor and tilted looking upwards at Nicholas cage, this shows authority and we can see the brand of the car. The camera is placed where no person could be realistically, the camera is by the wheel of the Ferrari, the effect of this is that the audience are able to get a better effect of where the action is moving to next. The camera doing a close up on the changing of the gear shows the urgency of the problem. The canned angle could show that there is danger as it is irregular. The action moves away from the camera position and the camera does not follow it, this makes it seem as if the car is going really fast.

 

Again the camera is low don looking at Nicolas cage further highlighting this power. The camera then tracks the people in the car and the use of a  close up allows the audience to focus on a important detail in the screen and the emotions of the characters.

The audience feel as if the action is about to come straight at them- if they were not watching the film they’d get out of the way very quickly. The camera is mounted on the back of the car which means it is right in the action this means that there is an increasing sense of pace, it also means that the audience gain a better view of the action as they see more than the could in real life. 

 

The camera drop down from a higher level to a mid level where the action is taking place but the camera remains stationary this means that there is a increasing sense of speed it also means that the action seems extremely close.

The camera rapidly cuts between different angles and positions. The effect of this that the audience get a brief sense of overview where they can begin to link the scenes together, it also means that the audience feel involved but feel safe knowing they will not be touched by what is happening on screen. There is parallel editing. 

  The camera is placed inside the car and the camera movement is handheld and jumpy. This means the audience feel a sense of disorientation and the audience feel like they ar actually in the action this also creates an increasing sense of urgency. We also see a extreme close up of a person this means we are invited to make a judgement about the people being portrayed.  It also means that we have a better chance at understanding the dialogue even though the action on screen is moving fast. 

This task was completed by myself and katy. 

Lift Task

To practice editing sequences using the software final cut. We were given different clips which we had to put into an order in order to make a good sequence. The clips were of a girl that uses a lift in order to get upstairs who is impatient waiting. When she gets in the lift their are different shots which we had to place in the right place.

Doing this task allowed me to learn about the software final cut. It allowed me to explore the software in order to prepare myself for editing my own opening sequence.

I learnt how to choose the right shots and where to put them. I also learnt that you can't spend too much time on just one shot in the sequence otherwise it gets boring and the audience become less intrested.

I learnt how to cut the shots properly without the sequence looking jumpy and the shots looking like they don't fit.

This task gave me good information and skills when using the software so I can make sure I can edit my opening sequence with my group.

Filming Day 2

When we uploaded our original footage we realised that some of the shots and clips we got were too dark. So we decided to film again in a different light outside. Our clips and shots are much better now. We worked well as a group and everyone took part in the making of the clips whether it be acting or filming. Overall it was a good days work.

Filming Day 1

We started filming and I feel it went well. There are some improvements that can be made to the shots the we filmed. I feel we worked well as a group and used everyones ideas and input when filming. I think it was a good days work and it was very useful.

Storyboard

This is my storyboard of our opening seqence.

Synopsis Change

We have changed the actors in our opening sequence. We have chosen to change the character of the girl to a boy that is followed and stabbed as it suits our idea more. Also there is no longer just one person following him it is now two people which gives it a better effect of a gang like situation. The fact that he is stabbed also gives this idea.