Children of Men opening sequence analysis

Children of Men opening sequence analysis
The film is a dystopian film where it is set in the future where everything is as bad as possible. We know it is in the future as it is dark and dull.The camera is crucial to introduce the main character and we follow him through the use of a tracking shot out of the cafe.
The noise of the explosion in the cafe creates white noise which is used as a sound bridge linking one scene to the next. We know that the film is going to be in the mans perspective.We can tell that the man is one of the main characters as he comes in front and centre, then the camera follows him. The man seems cold, emotionless and not bothered about his surroundings. The man also speaks over the newscaster while everyone else is in awe, which shows he is not interested. From the mans clothing, the audience can tell the man is a mess, he looks like a tramp and clearly has some problems in his life. When he pours the alcohol into the coffee, it confirms the audiences view on his behaviour of him having problems. Classical music acts as a trigger to our emotions, it is meant to make us sad about the tragedy of the worlds youngest person dying.

SpiderMan: Camera and Editing

Editing my preliminary task

Editing the prelim

We used the software ‘Adobe Premier’ to capture the footage onto the computer. This software allows us to edit the footage together. We first watched the whole scene through looking at all the various shots we did from different angles. We strategically chose the ones that worked best and gave us the best effects. As well as this we wanted to conform to the storyboard as well. We made sure we had a variety of shots such as high and low angle, close ups and editing shots such as shot reverse shot. To cut between shots we add dissolve transitions gave us a smooth film. I found it pretty easy to edit once I got the hang of it, and cutting it into sub clips really helped as all I had to do is drag it onto the timeline.

Next time I would definitely try and use more editing techniques. With so many available to use it was a shame that our video is so basic. I would also try work harder on ensuring the clip flows. The places where we cut the shots are fairly obvious which it shouldn’t be.

My personal contribution was playing the different shots, to see which was appropriate for the type of angle we wanted to be displayed. I would then cut the shot and put it in the right position next to the other frames.

Filming my Preliminary Task

Filming and Editing my Preliminary Task

Filming the prelim

For our preliminary task we filmed in the school corridor as we wanted to make it look more rushed and too add to the effects. I think the filming went well, bearing in mind there was minimal scenery, just a laptop, a chair and a usb stick. The role I played  was filming the high and low angle shots of the scene as well as being director which meant I had to call action as it made the process quicker and flow better. I had a major role in the filming because I believe I am good at handing cameras and I understood what was wanted of the task.

The lighting in the corridor, was too blue in the lens. This must have been because we had to use natural light, so however, the light shone off the walls, we had to use. However there were elements where the lighting worked perfectly in setting the scene and creating tension. Particularly, the close up of the man's face looks good as it really emphasises the stress on his face. The setting up of the camera was relatively easy. We took a good variety of shots from all different angles so there was a lot to work with when it came to editing plus from a directors point of view, it would mean that if anything deleted there is a backup. We used high/low angle shots to show authority and who had the most power. From this it was able to identify who the bad/good character was which. We were given a storyboard which we filmed using a range of different shot such as wide shot, over the shoulder shot, close up shots of actors, and a close shot of the door opening. This was good as once it was time to edit, it meant we had a variety of shots to choose from.

We made sure we stuck to the 180-degree rule, although we did break it once and had to redo the scene in order to keep the continuity and made sure we used technical terminology such as ‘action’ and ‘rolling’ to make sure everyone was ready before we filmed. From filming this I have learnt a wide range of shots and what they symbolise to the audience. I have also learnt how to direct a film and others around me as well as setting up a camera and adjusting certain parts to the camera.

Below is the storyboard we had to follow:

How is horror and suspense created in the opening sequence of scream?

How is horror and suspense created in the opening sequence of scream?

The use of mise-en-scene is very effective in the opening sequence of scream. You can see the scene is set in a very isolated area, shown by a crane shot. This crane shot shows the set at night connoting it should be quiet out, making the cricket noises and loud dog barking seem very suspicious. Lighting also plays a big part inside the house; The lighting gets darker as the situation intensifies as she is turning lights off presuming to try and stop the man from watching her. The movement of the blonde girl is a good indication to how scared she is because when the phone guy says he is watching her, she begins to rush around the house in terror as well as slowly backing away from the door when told not to open it. Before the man starts to act in a threatening manor you see her pull out a knife and push it back into the holder. This is hinting at what is going to happen to her.

In the opening scene, there is also a wide use of camera shots. As well as the crane shot that was previously mentioned; a tracking shot is also used. This is when the camera follows someone to show his or her movements and surroundings. The tracking shot is used to follow the blonde girl round her house and shows that she is on her own and for a horror film, being on your own rarely ends well. Furthermore, there is also a close up on the blonde girl, which expresses her emotions clearer to the viewer. This close up is done via a fast zoom, which also shows that her emotions change very suddenly.

Music and sounds are also used very well. As the blonde girl gets increasingly frightened the tempo of the music picks up. As well as this, there is intense drumming in the scene and similarly seems to represent her heartbeat as the drumming escalates as the blonde girl gets more scared. Before the blonde girl starts to really panic, the camera switch to the crane shot of outside. During this crane shot, you hear crickets and loud dog barking. Generally, dog’s bark a lot when they know someone is outside their house so that indicates to the viewer that something or someone is outside which is gives the viewer suspicion. With regards to the intense drumming and music earlier as the blonde girl gets more scared, there is also a point where all sounds stop. This shows the blonde girls state of shock as if her heart skipped a beat when the man down the phone tells her what her boyfriends name is. This creates a big dramatic effect.