AJA Feedback

1.     Post your storyboard for the prelim task

2.     Evaluate your prelim task, discussing strengths and weaknesses. What you have learnt that will make you do things differently in the main task?

3.     Post the conventions task

4.     Post the mindmap task

5.     Post regular progress reports on your blog – treat it like a diary 

6.     Try to come up with more of your own planning/research tasks to show your own creative journey

Film intro analysis 3: A fistful of dollars

I believe a fistful of dollars' introduction clearly shows that the movie is a western american movie from the very first shot, showing classical stone houses which give the scene a more latin feel, along with the barren environment. The character also aids with this presentation as he's wearing stereotypical western clothes and a poncho, while also riding a horse which is a very classical way of transportation.

Opening shot of 'a fistful of dollars'.

The opening is very slow paced but I believe this works well with what it's attempting to do, which is introduce the protagonist. The introduction is filmed following Joe, who stumbled upon a group of outlaws. The shot/reverse shot technique is used to show Joe's reaction to what the outlaws do, which further develops the character. The slow pacing helps this as the audience would be more focused in the characters expressions. There is also barely any dialogue in the introduction, I believe this helps keep the

No soundtrack is used while outlaws fire their guns around a child. This could have been done to make the diegetic sounds stand out, as the gunshots are very loud and threatening. The lack of music as outlaws fire their guns emphasizes the normality of this behavior in this town, which represents the setting as a wild and dangerous place. Once the outlaws notice Joe, a soundtrack plays. This may create tension as the audience is unsure of what this outlaw will do.

The camerawork is also very slow, there are many steady pans and still-shots, and this helps keep the pace of the movie slow. There are several first person shots which help tell the story from the perspective of Joe, rather than the audience having a third person view.

First person shot

I believe fast cuts are used here to simply progress the story quickly all while keeping the sense of normality that this movie has. There are some suggestive cuts made, such as when it cuts from a shot of Joes face, to a noose on a tree, before panning back down. This noose usually symbolizes death or hanging, which once more negatively represents the town he's entering. Though the director could have done this with the intention to foreshadow the troubles in the town.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OV5OMJSpyWw (Link. As the video cannot be embedded)

Film intro analysis 2: 3:10 to yuma

3:10 to yuma begins with a more action filled introduction, relying on mystery and confusion to hook the audience, instead of a slow suspenseful introduction. Firstly, a match is lit, and it seems to be the only source of light in the scene, This not only adds to the realism but also helps determine that this is set in the past (1884). Another aspect of the introduction is realism, and audience involvement. The audience are able to sense what the characters in the movie sense, this is done through shot/reverse shots which show us what they see, as well as their reactions to it.

Opening shot of 3:10 to Yuma

The opening shot is not an establishing shot, and there is no conventional establishing shot in the introduction. This may add to the confusion as the audience will have no idea why or where what is happening is happening. Though the location and genre is clearly western america and this is shown through the characters and setting.

Antagonist, wearing a stereotypical cowboy hat

The antagonists costume in this introduction is a very stereotypical cowboy look, he also speaks with a western accent, while evan is hinted to be the protagonist he is a victim in the scene and also because the director chose to show that he's missing a foot which differentiates him from the rest.








The intro first uses only diegetic sounds, no soundtrack is playing which may be used to create a contrast in the two sections of the scene. As when the outlaws attack his barn, loud music begins to play, with war drums, this makes the scene more intense. The music seems to really go with the pace of the scene, the volume rises as the characters run into the burning barn, which works well to make the scene more fast paced, the music then fades out, signaling the end of the scene.

The camerawork is very affective in showing the scene clearly, in the beginning, the director chose to show a book named, 'The deadly outlaw' which could perhaps be foreshadowing of the outlaws coming later in the movie. Though, as the barn burns, and the scene becomes more chaotic, 180 degree rule is not broken, and the camera seems to be still and not shaky, with clean cuts. Although this makes the scene less realistic, though is portrays the scene very clearly.

Film intro analysis 1 The good, the bad and the ugly.

The good. the bad and the ugly features a very suspenseful introduction to the movie. It contains many continuous, slow shots which work well to build up tension. along with several shot/reverse shot techniques being used which aid in conveying the characters expressions.

The introduction begins with a clear establishing shot of the environment they're in, this type of environment is conventional with most western movies. There is also no music which once again helps make it more suspenseful as the focus is on the scene.There are freeze frames in this scene, which are used to introduce characters in a conventional yet clear way, a soundtrack also plays during the freeze frames to perhaps associate with the character being shown. Even when the guns are being fired, there is no music, which perhaps adds to the realism of the scene and is also conventional with the western genre.

The mise en scene fits the genre, as all the characters wear appropriate costumes. The setting is also used very well to relate to the genre, a coyote and horses can be seen in the beginning which immediately relates to the western genre. The buildings used within this scene all appear to be old, classical wooden buildings, alongside all the wagons which are left around.

The cinematography within this scene is very well done,  the shot above creates a great contrast between the shadow and the light which provides plenty of visual pleasures. Another thing is that the characters never look at the camera, and the camera seems to be hiding in a way, which gives the audience the audience a feeling that they're spying on the characters, which is more involving for the audience.

Towards the end of the scene gunshots are heard, though the audience do not see the shots being fired, this once again adds to the suspenseful feel that this introduction seems to be aiming for. This works really well with the very slow reveal afterwards, showing the result of the gunfire, while keeping the audience on the edge of their seats.

Production logo

Preliminary task

Preliminary task showing the following film techniques
Match on action
Shot/reverse shot
180 degree rule

Shot/reverse shot

Shot reverse shot is a filming technique most commonly used during conversations between characters, it would show one character looking at the other, before switching to show the other character looking back towards the first character. Shot reverse shot usually follows the 180 degree rule to maintain continuity. This shot can be used to show what a character is looking at, then it would reverse to show their expressions or response to what they've seen or heard the other character say. This also makes the audience more involved with the characters if they are able to see what the characters see.

180 degree rule

The 180 degree rule

The 180 degree rule is a rule made mainly to not distort the audience's sense of where the characters are in the shots. The rule is a filming guideline in which an imaginary axis is created connecting a character and whoever or whatever they may be interacting with, and the camera would then have to be kept on one side of the axis allowing it to only travel up to 180 degrees around the scene, hence the name. By keeping a character on one side relative to whoever they're interacting with, the audience gains a greater sense of location because breaking the 180 degree rule may be very confusing at times. 

Match on action shot.

A match on action shot is when the editor would cut from one shot to another that simply provides another view of the previous shot's action. This is a part of continuity editing. A character would usually start an action before the editor cuts to another shot, showing the same action being completed. This has been described to create a kind of "visual bridge" as any viewer is distracted by the action and doesn't notice the cutting. This editing technique is most commonly used when a character is would walk through another room, the editor cuts to another shot which shows him after he enters the new room.

This is a great example of a match on action shot, and even contains explanations.








The 180 degree rule

Introduction

Our task is to create an introduction to a fictional movie and I'm involved in filming the group project with James, Adrian and Beatrice. Although we're still quite unclear on the details of what we'll be producing, our initial idea is to create an introduction to a very conventional western movie. We plan on sticking to the stereotypical western plot line.

After a group discussion we've decided on our roles in the project I will be operating the cameras, James will be acting, along with Beatrice and Adrian, though Adrian will also act as director. Our production company will be called Turbo and Hooche and the film name will be a conventional old western film name, though we did not decide on what it is yet.

The introduction will follow a bounty hunters encounter with a group of outlaws, we are trying to stick to the factors of a conventional film introduction and will try to focus on making it more suspenseful and mysterious, not giving away much about who the characters are or why they are facing off. Though before filming, we plan on creating a focus group to get more primary research on the audience we're trying to reach, therefore our initial ideas may change depending on the response and result of the audience research.