Introduction to the camera

 

Before filming we were introduced to the cameras that we would be using during our time filming.

We were told to only use the main functions of the camera such as zoom, focus and record as the other functions of the camera was not needed for the basic camera angles we were going to be shooting.


We were also told to not use the camera if it was raining as the water can affect the camera and if wet enough, it may become inoperative.


Also, we were taught how to correctly insert the battery into the video camera alongside the memory card which would then be placed into a video drive after filming where then the film could be used and edited. 


The teacher told us that before filming, the camera has to be in focus or the shots that we take will become blurry and barely usable unless we wanted to produce that effect.

Alongside the camera we were introduced to the tripod which would be used to help stable and keep in focus any camera shots.


We were taught how to set the tripod and that we must always keep the legs evenly a part.


We were then taught how to extend the legs of the tripod which is used to adjust how high we want to capture the shots.


In addition we were told that if the camera was not locked on properly on the tripod it would be at risk of falling of or was at risk to cause the camera to shake and wobble during filming which could ruin the shot if it was not the effect which wanted.


Furthermore, we were told that if we wanted to adjust the tripod we should remove the camera beforehand in case the tripod falls over which would damage the camera and maybe even break it.


We were taught how to remove the camera, this is done by making sure the lever is facing away from the camera before pressing the red button and sliding the camera of.

Introduction to sound

 

To emphasis the idea of suspense or fast pace action, every director would have to play with the idea of sound such as explosions which would add to the dramatic effects of action thrillers, or high pitched violin noises which will help create a suspenseful environment.

Soundtrack Pro

We were taught how to use soundtrack pro which we will use for our film editing.

  
Here is an example of the sounds we are able to use in soundtrack pro, there are a number of different types of sounds which once clicked on, different ways which the sound is heard will open up for us to pick. 

In my example I have clicked onto the explosions, here you can see there are many different ways the 'explosions' will sound.

The empty Grey box is where videos will be dragged into so we can watch the film play while adding sounds and sound effects to it so we can add sounds at the correct time and moment of a film.

Denotation and Connotation

Denotation and Connotation

We learnt about denotation and connotation and looked a number of images to understand what this means.

Denotation:

What an image actually shows and what is immediately  apparent as opposed to the assumptions that an individual reader may make about it.

Connotation:

The meaning of a sign that is arrived at through the culture experience a ready brings to it.

Thriller Planning...

Thriller Planning...

This week we finally started planning for our own thriller film. This was quite a scary and exciting , this was our chance to show what we have learnt .However it also scary because you have to rely on people that you have not known for very long and this could come as a problem but however we will try to work hard as a group to cooperate with each other and put in as much work as we most possibly can .

To help us plan our thriller film  our teacher Bernard gave us each a A3 piece of paper with seven boxes on the sheet.

The boxes consisted of what we would have to plan to make our film successful;

• Locations to be used,
• Opening that have inspired you and why
• Which thriller Sub Genre will you produce
• Opening structure to be followed
• Key Props to be used
• Intertexual refrences
• Fonts and font effects to be used

this sheet is very helpful as it helps us to express our ideas and have them on paper so that when we go to film we have a rough idea of what each memebr in the group wants so we can use all the ideas so that every has had an imput .However we may need to change some ideas as they maybe to adventurous or difficult to film so we will have to keep that in mind the main thing we need to keep in mind is a time schedule so that we have enough to edit and so that we finish on time .

Things to consider when making a film...

Things to consider when making a film...

When planning a film there are many things you need to take into consideration;

• Lighting
• Good Location -with space
• Noise level
• Can you get really good shots?
• Can you get interesting angles?

All of these points are  important , because if its too dark then audience wont be able to see what is going on and if you dont where you are going to film then you cant plan time your are goin to film and this will lead to you not knowing whether you will get really good shots or intresting angles so the most important thing that we need to take in consideration is the location because that ties up all the losse ends and brings everything together .

Intertextuality from the Stepfather

Intertextuality from the Stepfather

the stepfather using a
component of the shaving set

in the opening sequence of the stepfather we can see he has set out his shaving set as he is about to shave, this may give the audience the impression that we are in equilibrium.

However other members of the audiences may take his excellent organisation and neatness as a disorder, over compulsive disorder. This emphasises that he may kill people for the pleasure and just as a means to put everything in equilibrium for him.

I believe this scene is ambiguous because it has more than one meaning to it. This is an aspect which me and my group find really interesting and will hopefully be using this idea in the final project. This may be called Intertextuality, because we are borrowing ideas from other films.

Font Analysis

Font Analysis

Fonts

In the lesson we focused on fonts used in movie sequences and titles.

We learnt when we design our own sequence we need to think very carefully about the type of font that we use.

There are basically two types of font:

Serif fonts - such as Times and Courier

Serif fonts are generally more traditional and often slightly more formal than sans serif fonts.

(A serif is the extra little detail at the end of each stroke of every letter)

Serif fonts are used more in newspapers than in magazines.

Sans serif fonts - are fonts such as Arial and Comic Sans

Sans serif fonts are generally more informal and more modern and more ‘friendly’. Sans serif is used in magazines than newspapers

Font analysis

What does the font PALATINO suggest as used in the promotion of PEARL HARBOUR?

PEARL HARBOUR:

The title of the film pearl harbour uses classical, serif font. ‘Pearl harbour’ is shown In large capital letters, this makes it stand out. The capital letters reflect prestigious, power and importance of pearl harbour.  The Mise en scene is shown by the uniform worn by the characters, they are shown to be from the military which reflects big and important and links with the title.   Also the way they are positioned show there prestigious.

ROCKY:
The film 'Rocky' uses the font Franklin gothic Heavy. The Title ‘Rocky’ has been presented in bold so it can stand out to the viewers. The words are shown in this large bold. It is also tight either side . This connotes its wanting to come out of the page.  I believe the simple font links with the character Rocky because he is the ordinary uneducated, simple guy.