On the spot weather problem solution

 

Giving the camera a fashion makeover allowed us to take it outside without its feet getting wet.

Keeping the proposed 12A Rating

Concerning the BBFC's Age Guidelines I think that our film would sufficient follow the following guidelines:

Discrimination- Discriminatory language or behaviour must not be endorsed by the work as a whole. Aggressive discriminatory language or behaviour is unlikely to be acceptable unless clearly condemned. Next to no language of this sort is actually present in our piece, it is essentially rather clean. No violent behaviour.

Drugs- Any misuse of drugs must be infrequent and should not be glamorised or give instructional detail. No theme of drugs is actually present in the film.
 
Horror- Moderate physical and psychological threat may be permitted, provided disturbing sequences are not frequent or sustained.  The scene with the dead body isn't sustained much. Only lasts for an incredibly short while, Pictures found in the credits are mildly disturbing but are balanced out with visual breaks of items such as newspapers
 
Imitable behaviour- Dangerous behaviour (for example, hanging, suicide and self-harming) should not dwell on detail which could be copied, or appear pain or harm free. No such visible behaviour

Easily accessible weapons should not be glamorised. No proposed weapon to avoid such a claim

Language- Moderate language is allowed. The use of strong language (for example, ‘fuck’) must be infrequent. Barely recognised use of the word 'Damn' but that barely scratches the limit

Theme- Mature themes are acceptable, but their treatment must be suitable for young teenagers. Themes are kept reasonable and do not exceed this limit.

Violence- Moderate violence is allowed but should not dwell on detail. There should be no emphasis on injuries or blood, but occasional gory moments may be permitted if justified by the context. Sexual violence may only be implied or briefly and discreetly indicated, and must have a strong contextual justification. Violence is something that is lacking in this piece, this shouldn't be an issue

Set Breakdown From Sundays Film Shoot

G:MVI 0202 from David Smith on Vimeo.

Narration

The last portion of our scene involves a portion of Narration, I will be recording that later on with my Blue Snowball Microphone and Audacity, I will then transfer the files to a USB Stick and then we will be able to add it to the proposed scene of time lapse.

Edit Starts Today

Today we are going to start the edit for the footage we have recorded, the order we are going to do this in will be:

1) Assemble the First Scene
2)Add in the Ambient noise
3) Record the Narration for the end of the First Scene
3)Create the Credits and attach them to the Assembled scene
4) Add the Music for the credits
5) Check continuity

Lights, Camera, Action

We have finished our first full shoot and we now have the footage we need, what follows from now on will predominantly be editing and the production of the opening credits.

In terms of how the shoot went we did have a large degree of success but that in turn was not without a fair amount of error.

On multiple occasions the key issue was with the dialogue, certain lines kept getting confused, most notably was that of the line "One of the things you learn from this job is the wonders of perception." to which I confused with the line "Well, Perception is a Wonderment" or something along those lines"

On a couple of Occasions we were also plagued by how much we could move around the scene, yet we solved this problem by moving furniture before filming, keeping in mind the continuity.

 

In terms of props we managed to successfully make the most of what we got and I am fairly pleased with the results. I will post a video explaining what we did for the scene later after it has been processed on Vimeo.com and is ready to be embedded.

The Shots that we took for the timelapse are in my opinion rather interesting, to better illustrate this I placed a couple of candles in the room, As time goes on in the lapse, some of the candles go out, we have also removed items from each one to emphasise the investigation

Amy has also taken a couple of crime scene photos to use in the credits. I will be taking some additional ones to lengthen the credits if need be.

Overall I think that the shoot was something of a success and we have plenty of footage to work with.

All Props Arrived

All of the props have arrived for the shoot as hoped these include:

-Blood Capsules
-Crime Scene Tape
-Standard Police tape
- Overalls
- Face Masks
- Foot Covers
- Gloves
- Additional Camera Stand (Steady Cam)
- Fixed Lighting Attachment for the Camera Stand

Complications with the Music request and the Location for the Crime Scene

As it turns out the music that we wanted to use for our piece was protected by copyright as expected but after talking to Anastasia Pegi the copyright advisor for the band, we realised that they were not willing to compromise on the free use of the music and we would also be subject to a viral silence, the video could be posted online or else it would breach a proposed contract. In response to this we have decided to use one of the many cover versions that can be found online, while many are not subject to copyright we will still be obliged to ask for their permission out of moral practice. For the crime scene, our proposed industrial estate idea was for nought as we have recieved no response back on the availability of any units, those who did write back unfortunately didnt have any free spaces for filming, to combat this we have decided to shoot the film at my home, while this sounds like a last ditch effort it is actually a calculated move, my home is especially wide and can support the proposed shooting style I am looking for. I have already recieved permission to film and have confirmed the availability of the cast, expect footage confirmation by sunday evening.

Storyboard

Below I have Scanned and added in my storyboards, For convenience I will explain what is happening in each frame.

1. The first thing that we see in our film is of course one of our main characters opening the door with a low level shot of his feet exiting a vehicle. Originally we wanted to go with an establishing shot of the scene, but we assessed that there wouldn't be enough space in the scene to warrant a proper clean shot.

2. This is the point where the shot focus would change to a side shot, notice the key pointers to indicate what the camera shouldn't focus on. In this case Alex's face should not be visible to the audience until later on during the meetup with his superior.

3. From here we can see Alex closing the car, then allowing the camera to pan beside him and as he walks forward, pan up  to show him walking into the crime scene

4. At this point we can see Alex Cross entering the crime scene, notable point include that this is an over the shoulder shot that shows Alex walk under the crime scene tape while the camera stays behind.

5. This shot is a continuation of the previous one where it shows Cross walking towards John Walker, currently conversing with a Crime Scene Specialist.

6. This shot depicts the change of view from person to person once the conversation begins.

7. This is depicting the shot reverse shot between the characters as they walk between what is most likely going to be a large table.

8. This is the reveal of the body in the scene but it doesn't hold this shot for too long before it moves to a low angle shot.

9. The Arrow indicates the angle that the camera is at and what the audience is going to be seeing.
10. We simply see John walker Reading the Note
11. The note is placed in an Evidence Bag.

First Script

SCRIPT:

Opening Scene: *Main Character Exits the car and walks into the building housing the crime scene*

(Main Character walks proposed route through crime scene until he locates the man he is looking for, mid conversation with another officer.)

 J. Walker: … I want you to see if you can get any video footage from the area, either inside or around the building.

Police Officer 1: Yes sir.

(J. Walker turns around and notices Alex, They begin conversation)

J. Walker: *Brief Pause* you must be Cross.

Alex Cross: You would be too sir. Just call me Alex (The detectives shake one another’s hand)

J. Walker: Alright, I’m Jack by the way. Well, this isn’t the nicest case to start with I’m afraid; at least that’s what I’ve been told. (The detectives begin walking through the scene) This all started with an anonymous call this morning, the call was made from a phone box

(The detectives come across a set of windows along the buildings frame, none of which are broken, none of the doors are broken and everything is clean and tidy)

Alex Cross: Hmm, No broken windows, no mess, awfully clean.

J. Walker: Yeah, Strange. The method of murder seems more radical than the method of entry. You don’t seem much like a rookie to me.

Alex Cross: I think one thing you learn from this job is the wonders of perception.

J. Walker: Quite so

(The two detectives begin to walk over to the body)

Alex Cross: Damn, they don’t tell you about the smell.

J. Walker: Don’t worry it grows on you. Hmm, It should have been a clean kill but this is peculiar, the body has been cleaned but the method of murder is so brutal. Almost a conflicted operation.

Alex Cross: Wait, what’s that.

(Detective Cross Pulls a piece of paper out of the victims hand and hands it to Walker, He begins reading the note)

Alex Cross: Well, what is it.

J. Walker: I have no idea, its jumbled, letters and numbers. Symbols too but it doesn’t look like any code I’ve seen before.

(J. Walker puts the note into an evidence bag and hands it to a CSI Member)

J. Walker: This is looking like it’s gonna be a long one.

(The scene continues with a time lapse of the crime scene being investigated) Narration talks over the scene.

Alex Cross Narration: And that’s how it started, putting a young detective on that case was a big mistake, it just made no sense. Nothing this killer ever did made sense. This case was just the first of many, every week we’d just see more and more bloodshed, with a new note each time, each time just a mess of letters and numbers. We interviewed suspects left and right but none of them fit. This case just didn’t work with police guidelines and so. We weren’t going to either.

(Scene transitions into Opening Credits)

Point in Script for noticeable consideration

We have decided that in the story our main character will not neccesarily be the one that holds the most power in the case, that title would instead go to our Second Detective, J. Walker. To illustrate this we have decided to make him the first detective who's face is shown to the camera to illustrate the priorit. For clarification J.Walker is the title we are going with depending on the actors we can find. Should they be male, John Walker, Female, Jane Walker

Music Request

The following is the email me and Amy have sent to request the use of our proposed song.

Distributor of Choice

In terms of what I have seen in my research there has literally been many different Distributors with many different backgrounds. I think that actually we should pursue a British distibutor such as Momentum Pictures. The reason I have chosen this one specifically is because Amy has suggested to me that it is one of two ones that she has identified as suitable for the pieces style in relation to their previous work, the reason why we didn't go for the other one was because of its lesser known credibility.

Location Scouting

In terms of the Locations we are going to use for the piece we are looking to find the following suitable areas:

-An office environment
-A crime scene adjacent to a road where the main character can walk up to the crime scene.
-A large hill that can be used to shoot the panoramic at the end of the opening.

I will update this immediatly once we have ascertained the appropriate areas for shooting.

Opening Credits

For the Opening Credits of the piece we have decided to go for a set of shots that show a piece of police equipment, Evidence or a  newspaper clipping to express the passing of time in this case. The shots would leave room to the side to edit in the credits for the piece, I would very much like to experiment with the focus on the camera to bring the items to the forefront. Amy has contributed to the ideas in the credits by sending me her conclusion to what she has noticed about the credits.

"Every opening sequence has credits either during or at the end of the sequence,

I concluded that there is a common theme within these; the titles tend to be over a series of images- either running into the actual film itself, or just simply as a totally separate sequence itself."- Amy Washbourne

 

Amy's Conclusion matches my suggestion rather perfectly as matter of fact and so we will definately be going ahead with this idea.

PROPOSED EDIT TO SCRIPT

Amy has made an observation from viewing many repeating scenes from crime thriller genre pieces, generally there is usually a scene where the main character will stand at the top of a large hill looking around, I have indeed agreed that that could in fact be a interesting an potentially dramatic addition. I have suggested that we add in a scene where our main characters both look out towards the scenery and the narration continues to talk about how the case has baffled them and they feel annoyed at the fact that the murders keep continuing.

Shooting Schedule

In terms of the proposed shooting schedule, we have both agreed that we should stick to shooting on weekends as it allows for a much larger amount of time in which to work, it also makes it easier for the actors in the scene to make arrangements for the shoot. In terms of the week that gives us, the time can be used for checking a scene early then mid week proposing changes and end of the week applying changes.

Audiences Age and How it influences the Films theme

In terms of the proposed age rating that we are going to aim for with this is a 12A Rating, the reason why we have decided to choose this is because between both of our research the 12A rating has been prominently used, from that aspect it shows that it is in some way a popular choice and can be used well with the subject. The second reason why we have chosen this is because by using a 12A rating we can open up the sale to many more individuals than a solid 15 rating. The 12A specific factor also allows adult accompanyment to overide the age rating. Finally, the 12A rating has been seen to work very well in many very successful films including the blockbuster hit 007: Skyfall.

To make sure that our film stays true to the 12A Guidelines we will be keeping a close watch on the BBFC's Guideline for 12 and 12A ratings. http://www.bbfc.co.uk/what-classification/12a-and-12

Screenplay for Piece

SCREENPLAY:

OPENING SCENE: FILM STARTS WITH A STING OF A CAR DOOR CLOSING QUICKLY. THE SOUND ACCOMPANIED BY WHICH IS IN LINE WITH THE FILM STARTING INSTANTLY.

Someone dressed in smart office wear is seen from ground level exiting a car (Ankle Level shot), He then is shot from a side angle closing the door and walking away, the camera follows him and pans up to reveal a crime scene complete with Police Line Tape. The camera then starts from a later point and starts to follow the detective into the building which is lined with Yellow Crime Scene tape; on occasion the CSI team can be seen walking around. We continue on with and over the shoulder shot where we can see another detective talking to someone, the first detective calls to him and he turns around revealing his face. The first detective is now seen in a series of shot reverse shot conversation which starts to have the two of them walking around the crime scene. During this they converse with each other about the case and how the first detective is a “Rookie” to the crime scene business. The scene continues on with a shot from the point of view of the dead body, the two detectives walk over him and crouch slightly, from here it turns back to shot reverse shot from side to side  where they look and notice a small piece of paper in his right hand.  Upon noticing it the camera is slightly higher over them as they pick it up. The camera changes to show them level height reading the note for a second before we change to a shot of the note in his hand. The first detective bags it and hands it to one of the CSI team for analysis. The camera changes to a long shot where a series of shots fade from one to another in a proposed time lapse, the narration from the first detective talks about how nothing in the scene seemed to make logical sense. The scene fades out, one last piece of narration gives a dramatic close to the scene and then the credits for the opening begin.

The credits are essentially crime scene evidence next to titles or police equipment or even newspaper articles.

 

 

Music for the Opening

The Heavy- Short Change Hero has been suggested to me by my partner in this production. I actually very much agree with this, the piece itself is very Rock/Blues which helps on the Thriller/Crime sense, something that appeals to both genres. In addition to this, since the pace isnt demanding, It can easily be overlayed with a number of different ideas from the proposed opening scene credits.

Basic Film Description

In terms of Basic Film Description, We have a story driven by two detectives investigating a string of mysterious murders. The deaths themselves are very interesting because they each hold a series of numbers that lead to the next murder scene. The two key detectives are against the clock as they attempt to delve into the mind of a man who stands on the brink of genius grounded within insanity.

The footage shown in the first few minutes will revolve around seeing one detective visit the first case before it was deemed a serial case. it will then explain in narration, accompanied by scenes of office work and interrogation the difficulty of the case.

Film 5: Panic Room

For One of my film research areas I am actually going to look at the film 'Panic Room' not only does the film have a great atmosphere but I'm also very much interested in the Typography used in the title sequence and I think that we way want to look into using something like that, we'll have to see when the time comes if it would be appropriate.

It really is what stands as the most important part of this scene, the way that the titles are superimposed onto the buildings is very interesting as it make the opening that much more interesting.

The content of the Film is also one of the most interesting and tense I have seen, for example, the scene with Jodie Foster attempting to reach the cell phone, while criminals roam the house is incredibly tense and an interesting use of slow motion that really intensifies the scene itself.

                                                                                                                                                                                 
Finally, I have also been looking at the use of camera work as it appears to excel in a creative use, in a sense I believe I am more inspired to use interesting shot angles in my piece knowing how well they can turn out.

Film 4: Red Dragon

Media Research, Film 4: Red Dragon
GENERAL STATISTICS
Director:
Brett Ratner
Film Studio:
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Scott Free Productions
Box Office Figures:

$209,196,298 - £128,467,446

Budget:
$78 Million Estimated
Distributor(s):
Universal Pictures/ Studios
Age Rating:
15- Contains strong language and threat

Theatrical Trailer

General Statistic Analysis

In terms of the general statistics for this film we can start with the Film studio, Metro-Goldwyn-Meyer has been seen in this analysis task before in the form of 'Skyfall', this is interesting as it tells me that multiple thrillers under the MGM production tend to have very positive ratings, the company obviously has some experience in the thriller aspect. In terms of the strength of the film in terms of ROI, the income the film has produced, has surpassed the budget by approximately $120 Million which is quite strong as it stands. For the distributor, Universal Studios is one of the most wealthy and successful companies in film to date, its stands tall next to Warner Brothers Entertainment, Columbia etc. For the age rating, we have a 15 Rating for strong language and threats, this seems fair enough and for our film I would definitely be checking with the BBFC guidelines to makes sure our film was in our preferred age category.

Opening Sequence 

Film Jumps straight into the Action, in that regard it is reminiscent of Skyfall and I actually think that this method is rather effective, the audience is less prepared for what will happen and as a result it is more shocking and interesting, relatively reminiscent of the characters feelings.

The Opening Credits interestingly find a way to tell the story and it is done very nicely, the stylized theme we see here is rather shockingly powerful made only more so by the dramatic score.

The reactions of the characters are also within the confines of reality, whereas in some action films, getting stabbed could be simply brushed off with mild discomfort, here the reactions are justified. The cop’s reaction is very realistic and Hannibal Lector's is even more so given his psychopathic stance he could stand to be more resistant to pain.

The Lighting in the scene is kept so that the audience can fully see what is happening, much like 007 in that aspect, for this aspect, I think that I will be more likely to use a lighter shot in my film, where appropriate however I think I will try to be a little creative with shadows.

The Dialogue for these scenes is of course rather slow and calculated. This is actually a rather nice effect, the tone and phrases of Lector here are actually rather soothing and it really shows how characters can create strong feelings for the viewer.

In terms of what I can actually take from this, there isn’t much but that in itself is an interesting thing, sometimes I guess less is more and not all action scenes require monumental explosions and gunfights to be effective.

Film 3: Limitless

Media Research, Film 3: Limitless
GENERAL STATISTICS
Director:
Neil Burger
Film Studio:
Virgin Produced
Box Office Figures:

$161,849,455 - £99,142,016

Budget:
$27 Million Estimated
Distributor(s):
Relativity (US)
Momentum (UK & IRL)
Age Rating:
15- Contains strong bloody violence


International Trailer



















General Statistic Summary

The Director (Neil Burger) does not have the strongest standing filmography to date, of his other films none have reached massive critical acclaim. In terms of the studio chosen for this film, the choice was surpisingly the subsidiary of Virgin known as Virgin Produced, what this strikes me as odd is that up to this point I have seen these titles pick up big name studios like Warner Brothers or Metro-Goldwyn-Meyer. As it stands, it is actuallly a fairly successful film, the ROI for this is incredibly high given the $27 Million budget. Once again we see something of a niche Distributor, Both Relativity and Momentum stand as Independant companies and what this says to me is that the formula for a thriller is simple, a higher budget seems nice but it isnt required.

Intro Sequence

The actual video for this is insanely difficult to retrieve as almost all focus of the film online comes from the fractal zoom sequence in the titles and not the opening that follows. But I can still say what I have learned from it.

The interesting thing about the film is its effects with the camera, mainly as I said before, the fractal zoom. It also uses a wide range of interesting lens effects.

The interesting thing however here is the contrast between the first scenes of the movie, to those after he has taken the pill, Things tend to be much brighter and quicker to really reinforce the idea the idea of change. Sadly this film hasn't taught me much but what I can take from this are some really interesting ideas for title sequences and ideas for interesting camera effects.

Film 2: Batman Begins

Media Research, Film 2: Batman Begins
GENERAL STATISTICS
Director:
Christopher Nolan
Film Studio:
Warner Bros.
Syncopy
DC Comics
Box Office Figures:
$205,343,774 or £125,377,774.81
Budget:
$150 Million Estimated
Distributor(s):
Warner Brothers Entertainment
Age Rating:
12A- Contains strong fantasy horror and moderate violence

International Trailer

Batman Begins - International Trailer from Industry Creative on Vimeo.

In terms of the Production team, Warner Bros. Studios is well know to have made some stellar classics in the past, as for Syncopy, their name usually appears alongside a large number of fantasy style films, most of which either hold Christopher Nolan's name:

-Following
-Batman Begins
-The Prestige
-The Dark Knight
-Inception
-The Dark Knight Rises

And Occasionally a Zack Snyder film such as 'Man of Steel', however dreadful it may have been. Because of this I know not to include it in our films accreditation, given that it doesn't suit the genre were looking for. DC Comics of course is synonymous with most DC Superhero Films, including the ever detestable 'Man of Steel' and we would not need nor want this credit on our film credits.

Crediting with my budget theory, Skyfall and the Dark Knight share a similar budget 150-200 million dollars appears to the be norm for films with the Thriller classification. Interestingly the Box office figures for this film are nowhere near the effect of 007: Skyfall, I would think that one possible reason for this, is the gained respect over time that the Bond series has achieved and given that it is the third film of the new series (Starring Daniel Craig) they have been given the time to amass some sense of popularity, whereas Batman Begins is merely starting out what is now a Trilogy.

In terms of the rating we can once again see 12A just like we saw in Skyfall, with a similar warning, moderate violence. The fantasy element comes from the specific title so one of the things that must be in most thrillers is obviously the moderate aspect of violence. I would assume most likely that this was done intentionally to bring in the largest range of audiences and would restrict them the least. Given the popularity of 'Batman' as a character for younger audiences, it would be crucial to allow younger audiences to witness this film. On a side note however, the Christopher Nolan take on Batman is unbelievably gritty at times, for example in 'The Dark Knight' Heath Ledgers character 'The Joker' manages to kill a man rather gruesomely by slamming his head onto a pencil.

Moving on, here is the Analysis of the Opening Sequence.

In terms of the Approach this film has taken to starting out it has started separate from Skyfall’s style of throwing the viewer straight into the action as the story begins with a short flashback in the form of Bruce Wayne, Playing as a child in the garden, this could possibly signify a stronger need for character development in retelling Bruce Wayne’s Tragic story and pushing the limits of how tragic it can be made and conveyed to the audience. I think that this is the first indication of the crime aspect coming through, It may be important to consider the use of a flashback in my piece or a similar method as it could be useful in builder a stronger main character.

Comparing the Flashback and the present time in this film is interesting, the tone changes instantly yet on a deeper scale there is some sense of significance to it. Given that the flashback ends while he is still trapped in the cave, in an area that is dark. It could be a signifier that Bruce Wayne is still trapped in darkness to some degree, this could also be said about how the use of mud in the fight scene shows us a lot of dead plant life, another aspect of his child life that has been sullied. In this sense I would say that contrast is a rather interesting tool and I hope to make good use of it in my piece.

In terms of sound the film keeps the whole thing on a diegetic focus as far as I can tell there may be the occasional beat or clash yet it is kept to a minimum, most likely to build tension in the bat cave for what is potentially the equivalent of a jump scare. The Scare itself could just be the lead up to the adrenaline filled fist fight but once again this may be a part of the Action genre.

The diologue spoken in the piece is interesting aswell, Bruce Wayne seems to be a very serious monotone character, a quality that is shown to differ greatly from his childlike self, something that is shown rather clearly between the flashback and the prison, his choice to lie is also interesting, it tells the audience that he is so dissasociated from his cheery childlike-self that in a way, it potentially sickens him.

In terms of the sets and props in this film it is quite clearly evident that Bruce Wayne is a wealthy individual, even as a child the scene clearly shows that his parent’s estate is one of an enormous size, this is a good example of using props to reinforce the characters elements and I hope to use this similar method to help build the character with items like clothes and demeanour while also incorporating smart background choices

Given what I said in my Skyfall analysis, that foes are usually outmatched by the main character in feats like strength and that the only means of enemy succession in a fight is skill or luck, we can quite clearly see that Bruce Wayne is a much superior force than the thugs of the prison. This in a sense comes from the Action influence of the film, but I think that the interesting portions of the film are the flashback sequences, both here but also later on outside the theatre where his mother and father are shot. I think that the crime aspect of the genre is essentially what caused this given the deeper focus on characters that crime gives as a genre.

In Conclusion I think that this film is actually a strange example to use, while there is certainly an action focus some key aspects of the crime genre poke their way through, most notably of this is the forced feeling I'm getting with the character development, it seems like they're trying to do everything possible to build him into a realistic character, all be it a superhuman millionaire based one.