My sixty second pitch peer reviewed by another member in the class gave me constructive feedback about what I specifically need to improve on individually and as a group for next time and how we presented the pitch across to the audience. Peer review comment:
Sophie Walkden
14:55 20 Oct
Resolve
What Works Well: Throughout the pitch i constantly had a good understanding of the narrative. There was a lot of detail about your film.
Suggestions I Have: Maybe you could speak more about the key conventions of the thriller genre. Also, you could talk about the editing of your film.
PRESENTATION SKILLS What Works Well: You spoke clearly witch made the pitch easy to understand.
Suggestions I Have: You could each have equal amount of time speaking as you spoke a lot more than Rory.
Question to Think About: Have you thought about the different shots you will use?
The suggestions of Sophie suggest that me and my group should talk about the specific conventions of the genre of our film and what they include, however, we did have good detail describing what our film was about. Therefore, I feel that me and my group should have balanced out the time talking about the conventions of a action-thriller genre and how we were going to implement it into our film, rather than just talking about what we were going to put in our film. Therefore, we should have described why we were going to put these different details of our film in and what effect they would have due to the specific genre conventions.
The question Sophie gave for me to think about was if we had thought/planned the different shots we were going to use. Me and my group have thought about different camera shots however, found this difficult to implement into the pitch within 60 seconds. Therefore, we decided we could show this elsewhere and then include more detail on the film during the actual pitch. We will our thoughts/planning on shots through our storyboards that we will create later on. The suggestion gave by Sophie suggested that all of the group contributed equally to the pitch and implemented the same amount of speech throughout. However, some members of our group don't like being in front of the camera as much but we felt it would be better if we all still contributed in the pitch even if it was fewer for some than others.
In conclusion, to improve I will ensure that I maintain the strengths of my pitch and improve up on my weaknesses given, this may be done through increased planning time before we complete the pitch.
For our Main Film opening we created a 60 second film pitch, making sure we were concise in explaining what the films about and the main storyline of it. We did this in our groups to show that we all had an equal role in planning and preparing the pitch and that we all know what the films about and how were going to shoot it.
For my main film, I have to create a 2 minute film opening. In my small group we came up with around three ideas and one of which we developed further, and could potentially be the film opening storyline in which we record. Our film opening will be of action/thriller genre, this is because it seems to have specific convention and therefore, will be easier to portray when recording. Also, the target audience will be ages 16+ because the film may be distressing or have bits of violence in it, even though the film opening doesn't.
My groups and I initial developed idea's storyline starts with two rival gangs getting ready for a meeting with each other. However, one separate person receives a text with co-ordinates of the location in which the meeting is going to take place.
The second part of the film opening involves the gangs exchanging a briefcase. However, the audience don't know who is exchanging or what they're exchanging.
Towards the end of our film opening it will show one gang leaving with the briefcase, however, the person who earlier received the text tries intercepting it and a chase between the two occurs. This shows the disequilibrium and therefore, sets up well for the rest of the film and leaves suspense for the audience.
Log Line 25 word summary - Two opposing gangs exchange a mysterious briefcase in a sketchy setting, but a stand alone hero appears to have other ideas.
The film opening setting will possibly be in an underground car park, where the two gangs exchange the briefcase. This may be a good setting for the deal to take place as it may have low lighting and their won't be much sound which will hopefully create more tension throughout. However, at the start of the film it will show the individual character receiving a text in an unknown setting. This is because the opening doesn't want to reveal anything about who this character is or what he's doing. Also, the chase at the end when someone tries to intercept the briefcase will be on the streets. This will make the film opening more realistic and gives you a lot of room for different camera angles or different settings to use whilst the chase is happening.
To show that I know how to record a variety of shots in small groups and use the different shots at the correct times. Also, it shows that I can do this in a small group rather than a big group similar to how the previous preliminary task was done. It also helped us to understand the different shots we used and why we used them. Furthermore, the purpose was also to develop our learning of editing and editing the footage we took in different ways.
What difficulties did you face? One difficulty with the making of this preliminary film was the amount of time we had to record the footage as well as the amount of time we left to edit. We overcome this by planning out our individual roles and when we were going to do specific things. This helped us to manage our time better and complete the short film within a good amount of time. Moreover, as the filming was completed in a public place we had to make sure that the recording didn't include anyone who didn't give consent for themselves to be recorded. Therefore, a few shots and had to be re-taken to take this into account. How did you plan out the shots? One way in which we made sure the shots/scenes were good and correct was to film them more than once however, from different angles therefore, when editing we would be able to see which shots were better and what were more successful to therefore use in the final version of the preliminary film. Moreover, we wrote down what sequence of shots we thought would be best and what type of shots we thought would be best at certain points. What did you learn about continuity editing? I learnt that the shots have to flow together well without the audience's attention being brought to the cuts and transitions of moving from one shot to another. Moreover, I learnt about the importance of rules such as match on action, where the shots must flow together well with the same time frame within the shots as the clip moves on. In addition, the mood of the short film can be affected by the non-diegetic music that's used. Therefore, if the correct type/mood of music is used it helps the clips seem as if they flow together better and that they fit the preliminary film more.
What did you learn about the demands of filming a sequence?
I learnt about the importance of planning before recording because it saves time as you're more likely to get the shot right first time than if you dont plan the shot, because then the shot may not look how you want it too and may have to be re-filmed. This will then allow you for more time either filming other shots, or making the film of higher quality in editing.
The purpose of the task was to show that we fully understood all the concepts when recording, including things such as match on action, the 180 degree rule and different camera shots as well as how we apply them to the filming and different situations. Also the purpose of this task was to show editing skills and how we edit the footage in different ways to other people who have the same footage as ourselves.
What difficulties did you face? The difficulties we faced include the filming being in a public place. This caused people to maybe walk in camera shot or disrupt the filming in some way. Therefore, the filming of some shots had to be re done because of this. Also we had difficulties in putting shots together and so they flowed well, both in editing and when filming them as well as also having to re film some shots because of it not matching to the rules eg. 180 degree rule.
How did you plan out the shots?
We planned out the shots by discussing together firstly the outline of what we wanted the sequence to be about and what we wanted it to include, then we discussed what types of shot we thought would be best and how we would film them. From there we created a storyboard, this meant that we had a basic plan to follow and knew roughly shot for shot, what type of shot and film sequence we wanted to created.
What did you learn about continuity editing?
I learnt that the shots need to flow together smoothly with swift transitions and so it isn't brought to the audiences attention without them focusing on it specifically. Also, I learnt the importance of the shots flowing together and having reasons for the certain transitions or effects used during the editing to try and make the clip/editing as good as possible. Also i learnt about the effect that music can have up on the mood of the clip/scene and how it must fit in with the editing that i'm doing.
What did you learn about the demands of filming a sequence?
I learnt about the importance of time management, this meant trying to get the shots correct first time and so more time could be spent on the editing of the clips and making them look as good as possible. However, I also realise the importance of not rushing the shots and so that the quality isn't what you initially want. Furthermore, I learnt the importance of having the necessary equipment to make my sequence as good as possible and well as the best actors and cameraman possible to make the sequence I am filming as professional as possible. Moreover, it is important that you plan out using a storyboard and so you know the sequence of shots you want to film before you start.
In conclusion, we made this preliminary film to learn different editing techniques and the different effects available to use. Also, we needed to learn the different things that need to be planned before recording the shots such as the use of storyboards etc. This preliminary task will help me to develop my future films in better ways and make them as best as possible now im more familiar with the editing and the resources available etc.
Before recording our clips the class and I made up a storyboard of which we were going to follow, to try and get the best shots possible and know which types of shot we were going to try and execute. We will be editing the clips individually and that will be posted in a separate post. The storyboard:
Hot fuzz is a film released in 2007 of action comedy genre. The films main actors include Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. It was also directed by Edgar Wright and produced by Nira Park who had previously worked with the two actors on the famous 'Shaun of the dead' film. The film had a budget of $12 million and made high revenue, getting $80.7 million from the box office alone. The film is about two police officers who attempt to solve a series of mysterious deaths in Sandford, a fictional village based in England.
During the opening scene there is a voice over throughout. This voice over is used to introduce the film but mostly the main character, Simon Pegg as its him talking. He talks about his life so far therefore allowing the audience to know about him and what he does/has done. Throughout this time of narration there is several flashbacks to his subject of narration. An example of this would be his graduation, as shown. There is very little diegetic sound in this opening scene. The voice over makes the film feel unique as it's rare for a film to be introduced in this way. Furthermore, the only other sound during the opening scene, also lasts the duration of the clip. This is upbeat and quite fast music in the background to the voice over. This sets a mood for the film and implies that it is partly an action film. Therefore, the music is specific to the genre and also the pace at which he is speaking throughout this opening scene.
Furthermore, the introduction to this opening scene uses the camera movement of track to follow the character whilst he is walking along. This is an interesting shot as it shows some dirty shots along the way too due to other objects such as windows and doors getting in the way of the shot of the character. Furthermore. as the walk continues it cuts to a closer up shot of his face. This is to show the expression on his face, especially as he's talking about his life and what he's done/doing in the voiceover. The use of lighting during this opening scene is not very important towards it, to have the desired effect that they want for it. The lighting is very general and is the typical stereotype for what you would expect for the time of day used throughout the opening scene.
Moreover, the location of this opening scene also varies a lot as it shows many flashbacks to previous times.Therefore, the location of this opening scene doesn't play a big part in the effect that the scene overall produces. However, it shows him walking through an office at the present time and this would be to link him to his job. Throughout the flashbacks he mentions nothing about his social life and therefore, this gives the audience the impression that his job is mostly his life and that most of the film will be based upon this subject. Also Simon Pegg not just throughout the opening scene but throughout the duration of the film only seems to wear his police officer uniform as this is generally what the film is about. However, it doesn't show variation for the character and doesn't allow the audience to get a false impression by other costumes etc because its not shown.
Also, the opening shot of this film as shown, is a wide establishing shot. This shows the character walking towards the character and shows the location he's in. Moreover, when the character gets closer towards the character you can tell his job, you can do this from his uniform and when he shows his police ID to the camera. This shot is very stereotypical for the opening of most films, however, the effect of this is that the character shows his police ID to the camera, clearly acknowledging that the camera is there unlike most other films do. Therefore, this brings a closer link between him and the audience and the audience want to know more about him.
In addition, the editing of shots in this opening scene is very interesting, this is because all of the different shots link together well through different transitions. Some of the transitions used are slides and zooming in to a subject, to then zoom out of another subject etc. The editors have done this and so the clips flow well and have a fast pace to them, linking with Simon Pegg's voiceover and the background music that there is.
Also, this use of a dirty shot is an example of the variation used throughout. The clips flow together well and so the attention of the audiences attention isnt brought to the camera shots or transitions used. This dirty shot is shown and so there is variation in the shots used instead of the stereotypical mid shot from behind that would be used in most other films. The movement of the camera has more effect in this opening scene than the camera shots that are used. An example is where the camera is moved away through the use of a dolly from the character/subject instead of just zooming out like the generic camera shot would be.
In conclusion, Hot Fuzz uses camera shots, editing, sound and mise-en-scene together well to enable a fast paced introduction to the film that links the audience well, giving them a insight into the main character and so you are able to know about him before the film even begins. Also they use a variety of different shots for effect and have very little diegetic music enabling them to create their own effect and create their own pace of the film.
Jaws is a film released in 1975 and is an American thriller. The film is based up on Peter Benchley's novel which had the same name and was written in 1974. The film is directed by Steven Spielberg and it became the highest grossing film of all time until the release of Star Wars in 1977. The film stars actors such as Robert Shaw and Roy Scheider. The film had a budget of $9 million however, it earned $470.7 million just off the box office alone. Jaws was very unlike the stereotypical films of the time and had troubled productions as well, when it went over budget and past its schedule.
During the clip there is multiple close ups, especially of the character Chrissie and when she gets into trouble/problems. This is to show the emotion and feeling she has on her face when she encounters these issues. Therefore, by showing a close up it will mean that the audience can relate more to how she would feel and has the effect that it brings the audience closer to the action. Also by having this close up it shows the this is where the action is happening during the film and that all the focus should be put onto her. Furthermore, as this scene is the opening scene of a film it lets the audience know what they can expect from the rest of the film and sets a mood for the rest of the film right from the beginning.
Moreover, the lighting used during this scene especially is quite low key. This is used to set the mood for the rest of the film and it makes the audience interpret that its quite a dark film, as would already be interpreted by the genre of the film being a thriller. An example of the low key lighting would also be during this frame shown where the woman has a sense of worry on her face and this therefore, has an added impact through the lack of light used to show this. This makes the audience almost expect something bad to happen.
In addition, the editing of this scene has a lot of transitions, showing many different shots and angles. The main one used throughout is the use of jump cuts. This also is used to try and have an early impact on the audience about what the film is going to be about and link early on to the type of film it is. An example of this is also this frame, as the woman only stays on screen like this for a second before it cuts to show the use of another angle. This adds dramatic effect to the scene and creates a build up of tension and shows a lot of action is happening throughout.
The mise-en-scene location of this particular opening scene is considered well as it shows what the majority of the film is going to be about and where its going to be set.
In addition, the very opening frame of this scene is a wide shot. This is to show a lot of the setting and where the characters are in comparison to it. This is therefore an establishing shot as you are able to see the sea in the background with the beach and the characters and so you instantly can tell where the film is being set. Furthermore, within this opening scene it shows a stereotypical narrative. However, it only shows the first two stages of Todorov's theory, this is because the third stage (resolution) is to be solved throughout the rest of the film, as well as more disruption before. This opening scene shows Equilibrium at the start, where the characters are very happy and enjoying themselves. However, it quickly turns and and their is big disruption when the shark attacks her whilst she is swimming. This then leaves the audience in anticipation for what's going to happen next, as well as how they are going to solve the problems that occur. During the first part of this opening scene the main editing technique used to change shots/camera angles is soft cuts to transition shots without the audience's attention particularly being drawn to how they do it. Moreover, the sound used during the very opening few frames of this scene is calm, with the characters laughing and talking with the sound of the sea in the background. This connotes that it's peaceful and tranquil with nothing disturbing them. Also, when the film was released the idea of the sea being the main setting was very unique and hadn't really been seen before. This therefore, attracted audiences to watch the film and get them to be intrigued in the film, this being one of many reasons why the film did so well especially in terms of revenue.
During this frame/part of the scene, their becomes a build up of tension before the equilibrium is broken and the problems start to occur in the film. Also this is the first point in the film where we hear the world famous Jaws music for the first time. This music helps to create a lot of tension and makes the audience aware of what's going to occur. However, the music is also used throughout the film even when there is harmless things. This is because the music will get the audience on the edge of their seat and this means the music will keep the audience as engaged as possible throughout. Also this frame is very unusual because of the type of shot this is, the shot is taken from underwater looking up. This type of shot is quite rare, especially at the time of release, which also adds extra effect towards the scene. The shot is a wide shot, however, it makes Chrissie the main subject of the frame by just including her in the frame and nothing else. This avoids the audience being diverted to other things and makes them put their focus straight towards Chrissie. Moreover, this is also done by the use of lighting. It shows the moon reflecting on to the sea water right where Chrissie is. This leaves the rest of the frame dark and almost irrelevant. It also adds the sense of mystery to the film in that you don't know what might be there.
In addition, during this part of the scene where the equilibrium is broken with the shark attack, it shows this character who is totally irrelevant to it all however, so close to the action. This shows the contrast that there is throughout the film, with moments of equilibrium and then moments where its disturbed and problems happen. The sound also connotes peace and tranquillity similar to how the opening part of the scene did. Moreover, the colours and characters used throughout this scene would appeal to both male and female audiences because there is both a female and male acting in this opening scene making it suitable for everyone to watch. Furthermore, the colours are very bland and therefore, don't particularly attract a specific target audience and is very general and dark to try and fit in with the mood and genre of the film.
In conclusion, Jaws' opening scene is very effective in using sound especially to have a specific effect on the audience. Also, the camera angles are unique to try and make the audience think different things and have a required effect up on them. The opening scene is effectively used to break the equilibrium and start the problems that are going to take place during/throughout the film and make the audience have something to think about eg. whats going to happen next.
