Freaky Friday - Opening

Camera

The opening to Freaky Friday uses lots of long shots. This allows the audience to see the background in the shot and retains the viewers awareness about what type of environement the characters are in. The first long shot shows a house in what seems to be a surbuban place. This already gives the audience an idea of what tpye of people the characters will be. Throughout the opening many medium shots are used when showing the characters. This allows to see the facial expressions and the emoition on the characters faces. This is especially important in Freaky Friday as at the beginning the mother and daughter clash in personalities. The uses of these shots give a sense of realism to the viewer and makes you feel that you are there with the characters.

Sound

The film begins with slow non diagetic sound. This works realy well with the slow paced movement of the characters as it is morning time. The non diagetic sound alos fits in with the slow fades in showing the daughter in bed asleep. Dialogue is used relatively early on in the film opening. This again gives a sense of realsim as the conversation between the mother and daughter is easily relatable to the viewers.


Editing

The film begins with slow cuts which corresponds perfectly with the pace of the film. The film starts off with a slow pace to show that it is set in the morning. After the daughter has pushed her alarm clocks the whole pace of the film begins to change. This signifys the start of the action in the film. The faster paced cuts draws the attention of the audience and they would probably become more interested in what is going to happen next.

Mise en Scene

The opening of the film is full with mise en scene. The first room we see which is the girls bedroom is full with props such as her wardrobe, bed, clothes on the floor which looks untidy and messy. This has ben used to show the audience a sterotypical room of a teenage girl. Whereas when we see the mother sitting on the floor in her bedroom we see a complete contrast. Everything is neat, tidy and in place. These two rooms are shown through a long shot, this is so the audience can see who whole environment and the different styles and personalities that the mother and daughter have.

Animatic for Proposed Project

Animatic

These pictures above show the basic location and props that we will use when making our feature film. The idea for our film is to focus a group of female teenagers (aged 16 and 17). At the beginning of our film we will show the teenagers (5 girls) getting ready for the day. The aim is to not let the audience know what they are all getting ready for. There are 3 films (The Devil Wears Prada, Hot Fuzz and Freaky Friday) which all show the characters getting ready in their lives. The films mentioned are all fast paced reflecting each of the characters personalities. We hope to show the individual personalities of each girl through their behaviour and their styling. Their personalities will also be shown by the non diegetic sound being played in the scene. Showing these teenagers as complete individuals will be a way of connecting with the audience right from the start. After the 5 girls have been shown getting ready they will all come together at Christ Church Cathedral for the funeral of their best friend. This will be the part when the audience realises why the girls have come to this location. We want the film opening to show the audience how important and how close these friends are. This is just the basic outline of our film and as a group we are planning and exapanding where neccessary to include everything that we want to.

Preliminary - The Stalker

Inez and I decided to brainstorm a few ideas to decide what theme our preliminary should be. We decided that we were going to film a thriller type drama which showed an implication of violence in. By making our preliminary with this theme, we believed that this could be the most eye-catching piece of drama that we could make as it would be full of tension and suspense for the audience.

After choosing a theme for our preliminary we came up the characters, settings and storyline. I played the victim and Inez was playing the role of the stalker. The film is from the stalker’s perspective. The film never shows what the stalker looks like, this would make the audience feel slightly on edge and add to the overall dramatic and creepy like atmosphere. Inez and I chose to film our preliminary mostly down a quiet alleyway and in an empty school. We chose these 2 main locations because of their quietness. The fact that no one else is around these places emphasises on the fact that someone is being “stalked”. The story starts with the victim finishing off some work in an empty classroom. She then puts a workbook in her bag, closes up her bag and continues to work on the computer.  Her phone then rings in the room next door so she gets up to get the phone. The victim misses the call and enters the original room with 2 folders with her work in. She then puts her folders and phone by her bag, not realising that her bag have mysteriously been opened. Without realising that someone has opened her bag and possibly taken something up the victim gets her coat on turns that computer off and gets ready to leave the room. The victim leaves the classroom and walks down a few flights of stairs and outside. Next you see the victim walking down and alleyway, looking behind her a few times as she thinks she can hear someone following her. Finally the victim reaches her car and goes into her bag to get her keys out. She then starts to become panicked as she realises her keys are not in there. The stalker then reaches into the camera view and puts their hand over the victims face. The screen then goes back and ends with the words “The Stalker” written across.

The scene in the classroom shows many close up shots of the victim. We chose this because we didn’t really want any background to be focused on; we only wanted to see what the victim was doing. As the victim leaves the room there is an extreme close up on her opening the door. The door opens very slowly which adds tension to the scene and also adds to the dramatic atmosphere. The scene then immediately cuts to the other side of the door and shows the victim walking down the flights of stairs. We filmed this from a birds eye view to just give another spatial perspective for the audience and to also make the victim look slightly insignificant and vulnerable. The next scene in down the alleyway used lots of long shots to show the background. The audience is still unaware of the kind of environment that the victim is in. However it does show the audience that the surroundings are empty apart from just the victim and the stalker. The final scene in which the car is shown in contains many short cuts showing the panic of the victim. The camera begins to get closer and closer to the victim telling the audience that the stalker is walking towards the victim. The camera then zooms back out slightly so the audience can see the stalker’s hand beginning to reach and touch the victim.

After cutting the scenes that we needed to in our preliminary Inez and I edited it. We choose to mute all diegetic sound and add in some non-diegetic music. We chose appropriate spooky sounding music which fitted the theme and style of our preliminary film. We then decided to make the film black and white to add to the overall atmosphere of the film. The changing to black and white increased the mysteriousness of the drama that we created.

Preliminary - The Stalker

Camera Movements

There are many different types of camera movements that film makers use. The most commonly used are Panning, Tilts, Dolly shots, Hand Held shots, Crane shots and Aerial shots.

Pan

Panning is a camera movement technique that involves moving the camera horizontally to the right or left. With this technique you can track an object or follow any type of movement. A pan shot can be done hand held or with a tripod.

Tilt Movement

The tilt shot is similar to the pan shot, but the tilt shot moves vertically instead of horizontally. Like the pan shot, the tilt shot can be done hand held or with a tripod.

Dolly Shots

The camera is mounted on a cart which travels along tracks for a very smooth movement. Also known as a tracking shot or trucking shot.

Hand Held Shots

Hand held shots serve to create a more “home made” or dramatic feel to a shot. Hand held cameras denote a certain kind of gritty realism, and they can make the audience feel as though they are part of a scene, rather than viewing it from a detached, frozen position.

Crane Shots

A crane shot is a shot taken by a camera on a crane. This crane can move in virtually any direction. Because of its elevated angle and mobility, the shot can give a dynamic overview of its subject.

Aerial Shots

Aerial shots are usually done with a crane or with a camera attached to a special helicopter to view large landscapes. This sort of shot would be restricted to exterior locations. A good area to do this shot would be a scene that takes place on a building. If the aerial shot is of a character it can make them seem insignificant.

Camera Angles

There are many different types of camera angles used within cinematics. The most commonly used camera angles are the birds eye view, high angle, eye level, low angle and slanted angle.


The Birds Eye View


In a birds eye view camera angle, the scene is shown from directly above. This type of angle puts the audience in a position where they are looking down on the action that is occuring. The characters within the scene can  be made to look insignificant and unimportant. This angle lets the auidence see the scene from a different spatial perspective.


High Angle


In a high angle camera angle, the camera is angled down towards the subject. This angle is not as extreme as a birds eye view shot. This angle has the effect of diminishing the subject, making them appear less powerful. The camera is elevated to give a general overview of the scene, in which the subjects often appear to have been taken over by their settings.


Eye Level


In a eye level camera angle, the subjects are shown as we would expect to see them in real life. This is the most commonly used camera angle, being the real world angle that we are all used to. Generally the camera is placed approximately 5-6 feet from the ground.


Low Angle


In a low angle shot, the subject is shown from below, giving the subjects the impression of being more powerful and dominant. This camera angle is perfect for shorter actors/actresses who want to appear taller on screen. Usually the background of a low angle shot will only consist of sky or ceiling.


Slanted Angle


In a slanted angle camera shot (also known as a Dutch Tilt), the camera is purposely tilted to one side, so the horizon is on an angle. This can be used for dramatic effect and helps portray unease, disorientation and desperation. This type of camera angle is very popular in horror films as its shows maddness and instability.

Camera Shots

There are many different types camera shots that are used within cinematics. The most commonly used camera shots are ELS, LS, MS, CU and ECU.

Extreme Long Shot (ELS)

In a extreme long shot the subject is small in the overall image. This framing is sometimes referred to as an Establishing Shot and is perfect for emphasising the background and environment the character is against. This shot can be taken from as much as a quarter of a mile away and is generally used as a scene-setting.

Long Shot (LS)

In a long shot the whole subject is in the frame. The main characteristic of a long shot is that the character's head and feet are nearly touching the top and the bottom of the frame. Within a long shot is is now easier to identify aspects of the character but it also retains the audiences awareness of the overall environment the character is in.

Medium Shot (MS)

In a medium shot approximately half of the subects body is in the shot. Medium shots are relatively good at showing facial expressions and at showing body language. There are a few variations of the medium shot. One is the two shot. This contains two figures from the waist up. Another variation is the over the shoulder shot. This shot positions the camera over behind one figure, revealing the other figure, and part of the first figures back, head and shoulder.

Close Up (CU)

In a close up, very little background is shown. The shot concentrates on either a face or a specific detail of something in the scene. Everything else is a blur in the background.  A close up is a very intimate shot and takes the audience into the mind of the character.

Extreme Close Up (ECU)

With an extreme close up,a small detail of the subject is framed which is often enlarged than actual life size. There is no background within an extreme close up. It is a very artificial shot and it can be used for a dramatic effect.

Key Media Terms

Juxtaposition = Two things that are close together which contrast.

Signifier = Something used to represent something.

Aesthetic = The study of beauty.

Diegetic sound = Sound that other characters would be able to hear.

Non-diegetic sound = A sound over the top to create atmosphere that the characters can't hear.

Audience positioning = Where the camera shots place the audience.

Sequence = A series of shots.

Shot composition = Arrangement of key elements within the frame.

Mise en scene = Literally meaning "what is put in the scene". Refers to the shot, the set, the props, the actors, the use of colour and light.

Production valves = The cost of making per minute.

Representation = How cultural meanings are created and understood through; gender, places, age, time periods, ethnicity, themes and social groups.

Structure of Media AS course

AS Modules
1) Foundation Portfolio in Media - pre-production learning then students are assessed making a video or a website.
2) Key Media Concepts - 2 essays written on Media Studies theory and texts in June examination.

G321 UNIT 1 - 50% OF AS COURSE
Section A: TV British TV drama, showing a clip of around 5-8 minutes - analyse representations of CRAGED.

C-class
R-regional identity
A-age
G-gender
E-ethnicity
D-disability

Section B: Institutions and audiences - newspapers - 45 minute essay

G322 UNIT 2 - 50% OF AS COURSE
Foundation Portfolio in Media:
- Planning (blogs) 20% of unit 2
- Production (opening to a feature film, no more than 2 minutes) 60% of unit 2
- Evaluation (blogs creativity is important) 20% of unit 2