Analysis of Student films

Genre: Thriller
Editing: They have used continuous editing with the use of a cut-way to show the other characters and give the audience and idea of the reasoning behind the characters actions. The transitions also gave the clip a smooth feel that helped it flow together as a piece.
Sound: The use of non-diegetic sound in this piece is very effective as it fits with the theme.
Camera angles: The variety of camera angles used keeps the piece interesting as well as providing the audience with a wider perspective on the scene.
Mise: The colours considered for clothing and background provide a mysterious feel to the piece without being too obvious.  The use of props were relevant and well considered.
Titles: the titles fit well into the clip and didn't draw attention away from the film opening itself.
Characters: the actors chosen to play the characters seemed to fit well with the parts. We are only introduced properly to the main character which leaves an element of mystery, although the plot could have been kept a little more of a surprise because you are told a lot of the storyline from the first few minutes.




Genre: Thriller/Horror
Editing: The continuity of the editing was nice, although they could have been more observant with small aspects of the clip for example: the windscreen wipers and the girls hand when she is on the doorstep. The transitions worked well with the theme.
Sound: I liked the fact that none of the characters spoke during the opening sequence as it gave a sense of mystery. The chosen diegetic sound also felt relevant to the piece.
Camera Angles: The variety of camera angles was good but I felt that some of the shots weren't placed in the best possible place and could of shown the content better.
Mise: The costumes worked well with the theme and props were considered, although it wasn't very clear why that baseball bat was used.
Titles: The title font didn't fit with the theme and wasn't appropriate for the film genre. There was no variation in the placement of the titles and they weren't incorporated smoothly into the opening sequence.
Characters: Its isn't particularly clear to the audience who the characters are and what part they play within the story.



Genre: Thriller
Editing: The editing was effective and the continuity was good. The transitions and effects used we relevant and worked well with the chosen genre. The montage made it seem a little like a trailer rather than a film opening.
Sound: The sounds were relevant to the fim but I feel like the diegetic speaking throughout was a little overused. The non-diegetic sounds of white noise were very effective.
Camera Angles: The different camera angles used were very effective and kept the film opening interesting for the audience and kept them engaged.
Mise: The white coat worn by the main female character connotes innocence and worked very well against the constant dark background.
Titles: The title fit in very well with the theme and genre of the film and didn't draw anyone of the audiences attention away from what was happening within the scene.
Characters: It is obvious to the audience straight away who the characters are within the film and the actors chosen fit very well to the part of their character.

Film Opening Analysis

The Devils Rejects
Genre:

• Horror

Narrative:

• Fugitive
• Serial Killers

Characters:

• Main family
• Police Officers

Atmosphere:

• Juxtaposition
• Relaxed
• Comical

Themes:

• Hiding from the law
• Homicide

Setting:

• Southern America

Sound:

• Country music

Titles:

• Integrated
• Clip pauses as name appears

Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen

Genre:

• Action

Narrative:

• Battle
• Humans vs Robots

Characters:

• Tribe
• Robots

Atmosphere:

• Tense
• Destructive

Themes:

• Fighting
• Explosions
• Battle

Setting:

• Mountains
• Modern city

Sound:

• Tense
• Suspension

Titles:

• Integrated

Film Opening Analysis

'My Best Friends Wedding'
Genre:

• 'Chick-Flick'
• Rom-com
• Cheesy

Narrative:

• Wedding
• Irony
• Doesn't go to plan

Character:

• 4 girls
• Bride and Bridesmaids

Atmosphere:

• Not modern
• Hollywood

Themes:

• Romance
• Girly

Setting:

• Stage performance
• Wedding preparation

Sound:

• Repetitive
• Retro
• 60's

Titles:

• Worked around the girls dancing
• Calligraphy (Wedding invitation feel)
• Not integrated (placed in front of the shot)

'Catch Me If You Can'
Genre:

• Action
• Mystery

Narrative:

• Set in New York
• Airport
• Hospital
• Tom Hanks chases Leonardo DeCaprio

Character:

• 2 main characters who are pointed out

Atmosphere:

• Chase and excitement

Themes:

• Chase
• Identity
• Disguise

Setting:

• Retro
• America - Yellow Cabs

Sound:

• Retro
• Upbeat
• Chase

Titles:

• Institutions at start
• Integrated
• Director at end

'Lord of War'
Genre:

• Action
• War
• Political

Narrative:

• Following the life of a character

Characters:

• Soldiers

Atmosphere:

• Formal
• Official

Themes:

• War
• Bullets
• Death
• Destruction

Setting:

• Factory
• Ammoury
• War

Sound:

• Relaxed
• Happy
• Juxtaposition
• Song about Vietnam war

Titles:

• Integrated

'Panic Room'
Genre:

• Action
• Thriller

Narrative

• Serious
• Business

Character

• Female main character

Atmosphere

• Low
• Professional
• Formal

Themes

• Business
• Action

Setting

• City
• New York

Sound

• Violins
• Tense
• Suspense

Titles

• Integrated
• Metal appearance
• Made using helium balloons

The Difference Between a Film Trailor and a Film Opening

Film Trailor:

• Gives information about the film.
• Fades to black are regularly used.
• Shows a montage of clips from the film.
• Shows sections of the film that will grab audiences attention and get them into cinemas to watch the film.
• Title of the film at the end.
• Shows actors names.
• Might have a tag line.
• Institution logos at the start.

Film Opening Sequence:

• Details of cast, crew and institutions.
• A films title.
• An introduction to charactor.
• Indictation of place.
• Indication of historical place.
• Information regarding mood and tone.
• Introduction to signature theme tune.
• Information about genre.
• Questions that the viewer finds intriguing.
• Patterns and types of editing that will be echoed throughout.
• Mise en scene and cinematography that will be echoed and elaborated upon later in the film.
• Sets the film up.

Preliminary Task Evaluation

For our preliminary task we were asked to create a short clip in which featured walking through a door and having a conversation, the rest of the details were down to our own interpretation.

We started off filming the walk down the corridor to the door through which we would film our match-on-action. I feel the match-on-action was executed quite well for our first time.

We included a total of three match-on-actions throughout the clip, two involving waking through doors and another which occurred when the investigator dropped their phone.

We also included a cut-away to show the point of view of two different characters during the same time period. This occurred when the investigator left the room leaving the ‘cannibal’ character alone.

 I feel that the sound effects used at the opening of the clip were effective and relevant to the theme. Some of the sound effects used later on in the clip were slightly too loud, if we were to be given this task again we would make the sound effects a more appropriate volume.

Another aspect that we would do differently now would be too make sure that we are paying close attention to the 180 degree rule. In one instance in the hallway we didn’t follow this rule or the rule of continuity, meaning that we had to cut a small section of a scene and use white outs to cover this up. The finished product still followed the rules but we had to sacrifice an otherwise good scene.

Preliminary Task Final Edit

This is the final edit of our preliminary task.

Preliminary Task Shotlist