practise shooting and editing

This is our first attempt at filming and editing. As seen in the video, we haven't fully mastered it, but we have shown a range of shots and editing techniques which we can adapt and change so that we can work towards a common goal of being able to edit our final film opening.

As seen in the first shot, we incorporated a side angle shot, which we then attempted to put in time with the next shot. As seen, it wasn't very successful, so that will be an area of improvement. I will attempt to try and make it flow next time that we attempt an edit of that type, The third shot, is also a side shot, but at a different angle as we attempted to show off different angles to try and make it flow better.
After that, we then have a jump cut, to Callum sat down. It is a shallow focus as we see me blurred in the background and Callum is the clear key image. This was our group trying to add different types of focus within our short clip.
A few shots later, we see me put my hand on Callum's shoulder from one angle and then it cuts to the next, it was a smooth transition and i think that as a group, our editing skills could improve, but we did get this edit perfect and it does cut from one angle to the next very well.
I think that next time that we do a short clip, we will work on the flow of it due to the fact that it was where we were lacking in the one above and i think if we can do that and also add different angles in short takes, we could make it a better clip that would show off our filming ability more so.

A nightmare on elm street (2010) Essay analysis of opening sequence

A Nightmare on Elm street opening sequence analysis:

The use of the establishing shot shows us the setting straight away, which is a diner that seems to be at a roadside stop, which could make it have a sense of false security due to the fact that most people associate diners with good food and happier thoughts but it is placed within the opening sequence for a horror film creating an aspect of enigma. This setting isn’t very predictable as most horror films won’t have it begin in a diner or other such public places. The audience straight away wonder the purpose of the diner within the film and its significance. It then has a cut straight afterwards leading us to the explanation of the diner and also leading to the introduction of the main character, this use of a cut throws us straight into the storyline after the setting has been established. The use of dark backlight creates a sense of mystery for the audience and enigma as it leaves very little to be seen with a lot of shadows cast meaning that the audience doesn’t see much of the setting and the dark backlight also could show the immediate presence of evil which shows the genre of film, but also the semiotics of the lighting and rain could show that something bad is going to happen as the darker lighting is a connotation of horror films and represents a villain or foreshadows a bad event while the rain is generally something that represents darkness and sadness. The main colour seen through artificial neon light is red and the colour associations with red are danger and also pain which straight away show that something bad is going to occur.. The fact that it’s raining could also evoke pathetic fallacy as that is generally a connotation of a darkness and a miserable mood. From the very start we hear ambient sound as the rain is quite heavy outside while the camera is focused on what is occurring inside the diner.

This medium shot of the clock could signify that time is passing due to the mise en scene being a clock in the middle of the wall. The denotation of the simple clock has the connotations of a sleepy style as the music makes it seem like a dream/ trance state. There is a non diagetic contrapuntal eerie style of music playing which overall creates a sense of fear and confusion due to the fact that the high pitched type of the music is matched with the waitress walking through the diner, this  is seen in stereotypical horror openings to connotate something bad occurring as such a music style added with seemingly innocent actions leaves the enigma of why the music is put in the scene and what is it’s meaning. The fact that there is a subtle flashing could show a sense of urgency when the clock is looked at creating a rushed feeling about the shot. There is also a small sidelight which casts a shadow, this could show the darkness contrasting with the light, showing that there could be a presence of evil with the shadow’s connotations. The colour on the wall are green which has the association with nature and quite safe/neutral leading the audience into a false sense of security. The fact that no characters are shown in the first few shots could show that it is proairetic as it could be building suspense. The cutaway shot and short shot length shows us that it is building suspense as these are stereotypically used when something is going to happen and signify a build-up. The audience is left to decode the meaning of the clock left in the second shot that the producer has surrounded with an enigma. 

This over the shoulder shot introduces the Proppian antihero, due to his demanding tone when talking to the waitress. The side lighting shows half his face in darkness by casting a shadow which could connote the idea of a split personality or a moral dilemma. The camera zooms in to the over the shoulder shot could show the social status of the character, as he is alone, which could also cause us to form an opinion on him, which is that he is lonely but also quite rude and selfish from what we see of him early on. The non diagetic music seemingly gets lower in pitch as he starts to speak, this semiotics creates a representation of a flawed hero. The contrapuntal sound makes the audience wonder the significance of the character in the rest of the film due to the fact that the tone changes when the camera goes on him which shows his seeming importance .As well as this the fact that the dialogue seems quite firm in tone and pitch is deep could connotate that he is rude and quite insistent. The shot shows the rule of thirds as the key protagonist is seen in the very centre of the screen keeping a balance within the shot. This film could be seen as predictable due to the fact that the main character being male which is what is stereotypically in horror films. The fact that the main character is predictable means that they can develop the character fully and create an engaging storyline as the target audience may appeal more to these stereotypical horror conventions. This opening sequence outlines the main character type and sets the scene for the rest of the film.

Extreme close-ups are used mainly in horror films with short shot length to show action or something gory, the connotations of fire is danger which could foreshadow future events to do with our un-named protagonist which are not positive. The semiotics build up an overall depiction of a stereotypical horror film with danger lurking and the previous shot being the protagonist investigating a problem. The function of the opening sequence is to introduce the key protagonist and show his personality, which is shown here due to the fact that he is inquisitive yet quite rude which is also a stereotypical character type in horror films of the anti-hero.   This shot shows the audience tunnel vision/ distorted camera effect could connotate a dreamlike state which could infer that the character is a daydreamer, this would appeal to the aspirers due to the fact that the hero searches for materialistic answers through his searching in the kitchen. Through Barthes theory, we can see that the fire could be a warning sign for the main character to try and ward him away. There is the the ambient sound of the fire, due to the fact that it is the background sound could represent that the main anti-hero doesn’t seem bothered by impending danger which could also foreshadow future events

.The fact that there is a shallow focus, makes us concentrate on the hand which in the rule of thirds is central in the shot. This could establish a villain due to the fact that there are knives on his hands which has connotations of harming and danger. This backs up the previous few shots which evokes the signifying of danger. There is a low key  backlight which casts a shadow upon the hand which in turn creates an enigma surrouding the villain but also the connotations of shadows being evil and darkness causing the association of darkness to be with this character.The distorted sound of the villain rubbing the knives together creates an eerie diagetic sound which creates the overall assumption that they are the main antagonist. This shows the Levi Strauss of the good vs evil of the man vs the man with the glove on. As well as that, the sound of the knives rubbing together is pleonastic as the sound is exaggerated to make the audience feel uncomfortable, leaving the connotation of being uncomfortable with that character/villain. The shot is a low angle to show that there is more power in the villain and the fact that the mise en scene has fire in the background coud have the audience associating the fire/ danger with this villain. The lighting is also dark which combined with the mise en scene due to semiotics builds up this opinion of the villain being dangerous. This will appeal to the horror target audience as it shows the stereotypical villain (but not showing their face) and the semiotics leading to him being a villain and this is nearly always seen in a horror film making it seem to an audience, quite a predictable storyline.

Lighting techniques

Back light:
The light source is behind the person, it causes the edge of his or her hair to glow. It is often associated with purity and Good, but also can be used to evoke mystery surrounding an event or characters. We could try and use back light to show off the protagonist through the use of this lighting at the very beginning so that the audience realise they are the hero right right from the start.

High/ Low Key lighting:
Is created by the use of back light and it makes a sharp contrast of light and dark. It causes deep shadow to form (Chiaroscuro). Low angle low key lighting will distort a characters features due to shadows, creating mystery. High key lighting is when filler light is used. The lighting appears to be more natural and realistic to our eyes. It can recreate a sunny day in a park or a subtly lit night scene. A high key light from a low angle will make cheek bones seem more prominent (which could be linked to voyeurism and attraction) and make characters seem more pure. We could try and use these to show a contrast between the killer and the hero as the distorted low key lighting will contort their face, leaving a sense of mystery surrounding them, while the high key lighting will show divinity and the main characters prominent features.

Camera lighting:
When light is scattered in a lens system due to reflections, it is generally used to invoke a sense of drama and is also useful when added to artificial or modified image compositions as it adds a sense of realism. This could be used to make our opening sequence seem more genuine and also to somewhat add a needed effect on to our handheld (POV) camera idea.

Star lighting:
This is a bright light which focuses around the most well known person to the audience, it draws the audience to a film due to the photogenic looks. We could attempt to use this style of lighting when we see our main character as they will (up to this point) be the only character with screen time longer than a minute, meaning they are the most well known. It could be used when there is darkness and a beam of natural lighting to show them off.

Natural lighting:
When there is a natural source of light, which is used to illuminate a shot or show a certain time of day. This is quite easily achieved due to the fact that sunlight is natural lighting. we can quite simply use this in our opening sequence, by filming part of the sequence outside to include this lighting type.

Filler lighting:
This may be used to reduce the contrast of  a scene and adds light to an area, which the director may not want shadows to be in. It makes the lighting seem "normal" to a viewer by making the contrast a balance of light and dark. This will need to be used in our work when we do certain shots in the dark, so that the audience can see what is actually going on. Otherwise it would just be darkness and the scene would be useless as nothing would be able to be seen by the viewers. This will make darker scenes easier to watch due to the light and dark contrasts balancing out the darkness until they can see what is occurring.

Side lighting:
It is quite self explanatory as it is a shot which has lighting coming in from the side. It illuminates half a face which leaves the audience to decide the meaning of the lighting. Some films, like A nightmare on elm street (2010) use it to suggest that a character has a dilemma or has a darker side. We will use this to show our main character has a darker side and it will lead nicely to deeper character development throughout the rest of the film.

Under/ Top lighting:
Under lighting is when the main source of light comes from below the subject and it has a distorting effect on the way we see a character. It is mainly used in horror films to distort faces. On the other hand, top lighting is when the main source of lighting comes from above and it highlights features. It can be used to create a glamorous look to characters. This top and under lighting can be used effectively by us to show the mood of the scene as the under lighting will distort the face to create confusion, which will create an overall theme for the scene as well as top lighting showing divinity when the villain is not in the shot.

Three point lighting:
It is when there is lighting from three sources, it generally shows that the focus is on the certain object that the lighting is on. We can use this effectively when showing the murder weapons for the killer as it outlines them from three points and leaves the audience to assume the use of said weapons as they are highlighted without explanation and the use of them as a key image will have the audience think of the connotations of them.

I have found that a convention of horror films is dark natural top lighting, this casts a large shadow upon the villains faces, showing a split personality. This is seen in nearly all horror films containing binary opposition as it leads to further plot development of the villain. In our work, i will try to replicate the lighting seen in the top lighting section  (Javier Bardem) as it will show off the split personality of our killer, which i think will leave the enigma after the opening sequence of what happened to him.

              

Colour Associations

We can generally attribute certain colours with emotions, these can be used to form an opinion of  character within or a film or a setting. The main colour associations are:

Black- Depression, darkness, anger, death, fear, unknown
White- Purity, light, clarity, divinity, holiness, Emptiness
Red- Danger, blood, passion, anger, power, aggression
Orange- Energy, warmth, fire, joy, excitement, happiness
Yellow- sunshine, caution, light, energy, optimism, cowardice
Green- nature, greed, natural, healing, balance, soothing
Blue- Sadness, trust, loyalty, tranquility, balance, peace
Purple- Royalty, wisdom, awareness, imagination, magic, supernatural

In my work i could try and use darker colours when the villain is used and these combined with other factors can create an opinion on the character. The semiotics will build up an overall depiction of a dark and scary character, which is seen in a stereotypical psychological horror film.

Final Girl theory

The final girl theory states that it is the last character left to confront the killer in a slasher film. They are almost always female and she is almost definitely:
- a virgin
- not a drinker
- not a smoker
- a sensible, intelligent female
- doesn't associate herself with other people
- quite often blonde

She is generally more intelligent than other characters, leading her to making the correct choices during action sequences and is a mix of the hero and the princess.
The character type seems to be a living embodiment of stereotypical conservative attitudes Some examples of females who fall into the "final girl" category are: Ellen Ripley and Sidney Prescott

Films that include final girl theory, generally attracts a male orientated audience which puts forward the idea of voyeurism.

In our horror film, we could try and incorporate this to try and make it targeted at a male audience as well as sticking to a stereotypical style of horror film.