Mrs Thrasher helped me to identify possible problems that i would have during shooting and problems that our group might have too, we then thought about how induvidually we could contribute to avoiding these problems:
1. Bring food and clothes
For the test shoot i brought, several bagels, a flask of tea, chocolate (for dipping) and crisps, plus gloves, scarf, hat and several layers. This meant that on a more practical note, when holding the boom, camera, light or writing the production notes my hands were not cold and i was able to do the job properly.
2. Be Organised
I packed a bag before each shoot this just gone weekend which had everything i needed in it so then we i came to leave i jsut had to pick up one thing. I always had battery and credit on my phone so i could contact other group members if i wanted to change where we were meeting or what time we should get there.
3. Organising the actors
As the actors have signed contracts agreeing to do the shoot we need to keep them informed on when exactly they are needed so that we can avoid waiting around for them to turn up or them getting annoyed because they are standing around not doing anything.
4. Weather
Not much I could do about it, had plastic bags to cover equipment if it started to rain though.
5. Referring to shot list and shoot/view/reshoot
After shooting a specific shot looking back for quality check and referring to shot list so i knew what i wanted to do next.
I think our group worked really well together and the only problem i am really anxious about is the weather as we had very slight drizzle on the test weekend but if it properly rains we won't be able to film at all. x
Tuesday 27 November 2007
Sunday 4 November 2007
Today been looking at inventive title sequences and creative credits and i've decided to comment on Psycho's title sequence as i really love the way such a weird uneasy feeling is already created before the first shot of the film.
For some reason the video wouldnt embed but here is the url that you can watch it at:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=j3QcS2iovss
As soon as the clip starts the violins come in, the music was written by Bernard Herrmann and i checked out some of his other soundtracks (North by Northwest) and he is absolutely incredible at creating suspense through music.
What i liked about the credits was that they were very simple but interesting to watch, you didnt get bored watching the opening credits with the music like i think you can easily do with most films. In fact it was very well synchronised with the names moving and the strings playing making it more something to watch and enjoy rather than just credits.
The white and grey writing on the black background also have connotations of a thriller or scary film, and the way that the names are cut up in the sequence give you an idea about what film you are about to see and give it a brand identity.
For some reason the video wouldnt embed but here is the url that you can watch it at:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=j3QcS2iovss
As soon as the clip starts the violins come in, the music was written by Bernard Herrmann and i checked out some of his other soundtracks (North by Northwest) and he is absolutely incredible at creating suspense through music.
What i liked about the credits was that they were very simple but interesting to watch, you didnt get bored watching the opening credits with the music like i think you can easily do with most films. In fact it was very well synchronised with the names moving and the strings playing making it more something to watch and enjoy rather than just credits.
The white and grey writing on the black background also have connotations of a thriller or scary film, and the way that the names are cut up in the sequence give you an idea about what film you are about to see and give it a brand identity.
Saturday 3 November 2007
Continuity
Was looking around for any videos on the internet that may help with continuity ideas to make our thriller seem more naturual rather than a series of clips edited together. This is a video i found of a student demonstrating continuity editing for their film course.
Although it is a very simple sequence, i think the whistling makes the sequence seem very smooth and also that he is playing with the keys in several shots making it feel much more natural rather than an edited sequence of different shots.
Although it is a very simple sequence, i think the whistling makes the sequence seem very smooth and also that he is playing with the keys in several shots making it feel much more natural rather than an edited sequence of different shots.
Pretty coo thriller
Watched a french thriller the other day called Harry, he's here to help to try and get a more independant and creative view on contemporary thrillers.
It made me think about ideas for our thriller so i 'll just summarise the plot.
SpOiLeR!!!!
Ok..
Mother + Father with 3 girls (2-6 yrs old) are driving in their old poorly air conditioned car to their messy 'holiday home' which they try to DIY every half term. At a service station father meets old schoolmate who suggests a drink but ends up coming, with his girlfriend to the holiday home. As the girls are too hot and crying etc. in the car they get into this new guys car with the mum as its a mercedes with air conditioning.
What i liked about this whole sequence was that you absolutely did not want the girls to get in the car, but knew that they would building up an incredible amount of suspense, but on the drive nothing out of the ordinary whatsoever happened building up even more tension.
When they arrived, over dinner the old schoolmate reminded the father aobut poetry and a short story that the father had written for the school journal. The schoolmate had it memorised in a slightly creepy kind of way and strongly tried to persuade the father to continue his work, even though it was years and years ago and about flying monkeys..
This old schoolmate realises that it is the father's children, wife and parents getting in the way of his writings so he kills the guys parents, and then tries to kill the children and wife.
The opening credits were really good, following both cars with an aerial helishot as they went along the motorway and actor names etc. running along in different lanes at similar speed to the cars and then dropping out of the shot to be replaced by another name but unfortunately no one has uplaoded this clip to youtube so i cannot show it here.
So, mainly what a liked aobut this film were the way they intergrated the credits into the film in an independant and creative way but also i liked the idea of the past coming back to haunt you, used in quite a few thrilelr films but i think timelessly effective.
It made me think about ideas for our thriller so i 'll just summarise the plot.
SpOiLeR!!!!
Ok..
Mother + Father with 3 girls (2-6 yrs old) are driving in their old poorly air conditioned car to their messy 'holiday home' which they try to DIY every half term. At a service station father meets old schoolmate who suggests a drink but ends up coming, with his girlfriend to the holiday home. As the girls are too hot and crying etc. in the car they get into this new guys car with the mum as its a mercedes with air conditioning.
What i liked about this whole sequence was that you absolutely did not want the girls to get in the car, but knew that they would building up an incredible amount of suspense, but on the drive nothing out of the ordinary whatsoever happened building up even more tension.
When they arrived, over dinner the old schoolmate reminded the father aobut poetry and a short story that the father had written for the school journal. The schoolmate had it memorised in a slightly creepy kind of way and strongly tried to persuade the father to continue his work, even though it was years and years ago and about flying monkeys..
This old schoolmate realises that it is the father's children, wife and parents getting in the way of his writings so he kills the guys parents, and then tries to kill the children and wife.
The opening credits were really good, following both cars with an aerial helishot as they went along the motorway and actor names etc. running along in different lanes at similar speed to the cars and then dropping out of the shot to be replaced by another name but unfortunately no one has uplaoded this clip to youtube so i cannot show it here.
So, mainly what a liked aobut this film were the way they intergrated the credits into the film in an independant and creative way but also i liked the idea of the past coming back to haunt you, used in quite a few thrilelr films but i think timelessly effective.
Thursday 1 November 2007
Update
Just a quick update, been thinking since i took the photos earlier i like the idea of an innocent or child friendly place that would normally be seen as safe changing when its dark or empty, to portray this we could shown the swings in a playground swinging with no one around and pan across the playground or something to show the empty space. I also when watching Latymer thrillers form previous ideas, i can't remember which group but 'the stepfather' had a very nice normal domestic sense about it but in the context with the stepdad it seemed very abnormal and weird. Generally i think id be keen on doing a paradigm situation similar to 'exposure' aswell in which we make the audience assume one thing with very obvious connotations but then completely flip round their point of view at the end with a key piece of information. We could have subtle hints and red herrings aswell which would layer the clip and mean it could be watched several times with added meaning, something which i think is key in a very good film.
Quite media'd out for the night so im going to bed.
x
Quite media'd out for the night so im going to bed.
x
Thriller locaton photos
Just scouted around my area for possible locations and i think ive found some really good ones as frankly being in hackney with a digital camera was scary enough after bedtime. I really like the way that the streetlamps cast a yellow light and the autumnal leaves on the ground reflect this. Will upload some of the photos now and hopefully talk to the group about them tomorrow to see what they think.
This first shot is of the outside of an abandoned electricity power station. The front windows are boarded up and surrounding trees and streelamps make fantastic shadows on it.
At the front there are massive double doors and i shot at a low angle to emphasis this. Also, see the warning: danger of death sign accentuated by the flash it looks bright yellow in contrast to the green doors and bricks.
This alleyway i think is perfectly framed with bars on one side and the side of the old powerstation on the other. The streetlamp shines a great yellow light seen on the wall and leaves on the floor and creates both a sense of decay and urban wasteland with the harsh metal corrugated iron and.
This abandoned hut is just past the bars, unfortunately the park was locked but from the inside we could get some great shots. I think the harsh flash of the camera creates a very different and noticeable effect to the streetlamp with the whiteness of the leaves and bars maknig it very eerie.
This is shot form the opposite end of the alley and gives a different but less effective perspective as there is a school and road in the background.
This first shot is of the outside of an abandoned electricity power station. The front windows are boarded up and surrounding trees and streelamps make fantastic shadows on it.
At the front there are massive double doors and i shot at a low angle to emphasis this. Also, see the warning: danger of death sign accentuated by the flash it looks bright yellow in contrast to the green doors and bricks.
This alleyway i think is perfectly framed with bars on one side and the side of the old powerstation on the other. The streetlamp shines a great yellow light seen on the wall and leaves on the floor and creates both a sense of decay and urban wasteland with the harsh metal corrugated iron and.
This abandoned hut is just past the bars, unfortunately the park was locked but from the inside we could get some great shots. I think the harsh flash of the camera creates a very different and noticeable effect to the streetlamp with the whiteness of the leaves and bars maknig it very eerie.
This is shot form the opposite end of the alley and gives a different but less effective perspective as there is a school and road in the background.
I took this shot to emphasise the effect of the streetlamp on the yellow and brown leaves which i think works really well in giving a spooky halloween-esque look.
This is a shot of closed methodist church on the left of the power station, i really like the architecture of both of these buildings and think they have a very suitable worn down look.
This is a shot of the inside of an adventure playground. I think the idea of childhood and everyday activities becomes really sinister when no one is around and it is dark, something that id like to definately explore myself.
This is a shot from one end of an estate to the other. I think the harsh pale lighting does really well to give a sense of modern and urban living and gives it quite a cold electric feel. I also like the way this empty space in the middle is framed by the two opposing estates giving quite a trapped feel if you stand in the middle and are unable to see what is on either side.
That's all for now, hope you liked the pictures, I think there are definately some locations there to follow up in more detail at different times of day etc.
Previous thriller projects
Just watched a series of previous Latymer thriller projects from 2005 and 2006 and one i singled out as i think it is particularly good is 2006 group 6's thriller 'exposure'
What i liked particularly was the way idea was infact very simple and somethnig we are all familiar with in the world of film: someone packing their bags and trying to run away form someone, something or a situation. As the clip focuses solely on this character we see him as the protagonist and sympathise with him to a certain extent as he is clearly running away form something. This clip uses a paradigm effect so that as the audience does not know about the situation, we sympathise with the guy but when we see the stalker-esque photos we no longer sympathise with him and think he is probably tyring to run away form the law. His camera that he packed earlier is no longer a camera but an object of his crime. I really like this idea for a thriller, how you can have a very simple situation but with one piece of information switch the audiences point of view completely.
I also liked the change of pace at 1:22, there are a series of very short shots showing his eagerness to leave the house but then the camera remains on his hand on the door as he hesitates (i feel this group were very good at portraying the characters emotions and feelings and showing them to us. The is closely followed by a very slow low level track into the photo room. The slow throbbing music and the camera circling the man as he turned in circles himself was very successful in showing his emotions.
The continuity editing was also seamless, when doors were opened, in the next shot they would be slightly further open and when the tap was running, as the shot changed there was no difference in sound and in the scene with the mirror films continued to fall in a similar way and he was still in the same place as before when it cut back to the same shot.
What i liked particularly was the way idea was infact very simple and somethnig we are all familiar with in the world of film: someone packing their bags and trying to run away form someone, something or a situation. As the clip focuses solely on this character we see him as the protagonist and sympathise with him to a certain extent as he is clearly running away form something. This clip uses a paradigm effect so that as the audience does not know about the situation, we sympathise with the guy but when we see the stalker-esque photos we no longer sympathise with him and think he is probably tyring to run away form the law. His camera that he packed earlier is no longer a camera but an object of his crime. I really like this idea for a thriller, how you can have a very simple situation but with one piece of information switch the audiences point of view completely.
I also liked the change of pace at 1:22, there are a series of very short shots showing his eagerness to leave the house but then the camera remains on his hand on the door as he hesitates (i feel this group were very good at portraying the characters emotions and feelings and showing them to us. The is closely followed by a very slow low level track into the photo room. The slow throbbing music and the camera circling the man as he turned in circles himself was very successful in showing his emotions.
The continuity editing was also seamless, when doors were opened, in the next shot they would be slightly further open and when the tap was running, as the shot changed there was no difference in sound and in the scene with the mirror films continued to fall in a similar way and he was still in the same place as before when it cut back to the same shot.
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