Test upload, please comment on vid thx ;)
Friday
Change!
I have made the decision to change the theme of my movie opening sequence. Rather than doing an opening based on a gunner and a target I have chosen to redo my project in the theme of a drama, specifically on a teen who is going through tough times, and decides it is time to leave.
The problem that I had is that after I had shot the footage and put it together in simple 1 after the other sequence with no real editing it was evident that there were far too many clichés and that the footage was just not of the quality that I would like, as well as having a significantly higher number of areas nearby which are a lot more relevant to my storyline.
The problem that I had is that after I had shot the footage and put it together in simple 1 after the other sequence with no real editing it was evident that there were far too many clichés and that the footage was just not of the quality that I would like, as well as having a significantly higher number of areas nearby which are a lot more relevant to my storyline.
Sunday
After Effects
AE is an advanced piece of software used by professionals to edit pieces of footage features like colour correction or chroma-key.
I spent about five lessons based solely on the use of After Effects, learning the basics with the aid of my teacher as well as the use of videocopilot basic training videos.
In class we worked on some test videos as well as making some compositions without using footage and using the features of after effects to make some animations. This went well and I was able to make my first composition which was not filmed with any great quality, however the use of after effects allowed me to put together a short clip which is able to be followed quite easily.
In order to continue my work at home, and so that I could spend my own time working on my own projects I installed After Effects CS5 on my home laptop. This allowed me to practise my skills when out of the classroom.
Here is a short composition that i made in my own time:
I was also given the opportunity to use a program called final-cut pro, installed on the Apple Macs at my college, however there is no support for windows opersting systems for this program as of yet so all of my editing and sound (inc. sound effects) was completed in Adobe After Effects. Many people say that After Effects is no good with sound or sound effects, but I found no problem with this and would hapily use it in the future for even just solely editing sound as it is easier to use than most other programs thate are available for this specific purpose.
Monday
Treatment Sheet
Here I have posted a print screen of my treatment sheet in preparation for my movie opening sequence that is currently in the process of being filmed.
My Preliminary Exercise
This is the first video that I have made. The quality isn't the best and i have edited it as best I can given the footage but I have included some basic keylight and masking effects as well as using a match on action shot, and a reverse shot, keeping to the 180 degree rule.
I have also edited the picture, taking the contrast down a little so that it decreases the amount of colour, making the picture a little less warm as this is the effect I am looking for. There were also some anomalies within the audio, which I have edited out.
For the editing if this exercise I used Adobe After Effects CS4 on both Mac and Windows.
Here it is...
I have also edited the picture, taking the contrast down a little so that it decreases the amount of colour, making the picture a little less warm as this is the effect I am looking for. There were also some anomalies within the audio, which I have edited out.
For the editing if this exercise I used Adobe After Effects CS4 on both Mac and Windows.
Here it is...
Wednesday
Pearl Harbour
The next film I have chosen to write about as part of my research is Pearl Harbour. Made in 2001, Pearl Harbour illustrates the part of WWII when Japan decides to get involved and attack Pearl Harbour, America's primary naval dock, in Hawaii.
Throughout the whole of the 2 minutes opening scene, match on action shooting style has been used.
This is the first picture the audience sees in Pearl Harbour. It fades in from a black screen just after the slow, soft Pearl Harbour theme music starts. (Pearl Harbour Theme [Youtube])
The colours used are very warm and so gives the audience a feeling of security and safeness. To create this type of colour the director may have used a yellow lens in order to make the image have a sepia-like effect.
We are not actually close to anything yet as far as we know, and this means that the audience has not been asked to have a strong emotional connection with what they are viewing, however this does not deplete the warm feeling given off by the colours used.
Here there has been no change in position of the shot, but an old bi-plane has entered the screen flying in from the top right hand corner of the screen with what looks like black smoke coming from the rear of the plane.
This to a certain extent gets rid of the sense of security given by the warm colours as the smoke coming from the plane is either meant to be there, or it is not and the plane is coming in to crash land.
As this gets playing on the viewer's mind we get a close up of the plane for a few seconds.
Here is the close up of the plane, which seems to have been shot and then slowed down to a slightly lower frame rate.
This effects allows the viewer to see the propeller turning and gives a lot more detail to the plane, despite it being in silhouette, and adds interest to the scene as the viewer is still being given no clue as to why the plane is flying. And what it has to do with the storyline.
The picture that fades in after the last shot is of the sun slowly rising as the Title of the film 'Pearl Harbour' fades in as text and then after roughly five seconds fades back out.
for this whole sequence so far there has been no colour that deviates away from the sepia theme, as even the title has been coloured to match the sun.
The fact that this is all happening at dawn may represent freedom as opposed to war (as being the opposite of this). This gives a positive feeling off, and when combined with the warm colours and open spaces really gives a feeling of security.
After one more clip of a tracking shot the plane swooping down under the camera, we are in a POV shot from the ground, watching the plane come in, panning across the screen as the plane comes in to land.
This is the first piece of footage that has used colour. We can see that the plane is red, and therefore is not a war plane, but probably belongs to a local farmer. From here we can also see that the smoke coming from the plane is meant to be there as the music is still calm and there is no apparent distress going in with the plane or within the cockpit.
From all of these indications, the viewer has almost now been reassured that there is nothing wrong and therefore there are no nervous feelings being made.
The next shot shows the plane a little higher than before, apparently not trying to land, but flying around leisurely over fields and grassland, putting in a shallow bank, hinting to the audience that there is no need for panic and everything is laid back and under control. Using planes to get around like this is not uncommon in some parts of the US.
In this clip, small, formal text is faded in and out, showing the location and year that this is set in, giving an obvious time scale to the audience on what they expect to see in the theme, as opposed to a modern day theme.
Here is the classic example of a match on action shot, where we see the plane carry on its banking turn but from the ground, rather than as a tracking shot from the air. A barn looks to be next to the landing strip which is most probably where the plane is kept.
The presence of the barn, and the stationary prop is a classic indicator that we are on a farm.
As we find out in the next couple of shots, there are a couple of young boys, no older than 12 years playing in an old, deceased plane, pressing all of the buttons, pretending that it is real when the plane flies over them when coming in to land. The boys are looking up in awe at the machine flying past them and jump straight in after it has landed and the pilot (one of the boy's dad) has climbed out and left the scene.
We see these shots as a first person, as if we could be there, so this allow us to identify easily with the excited emotions of the boys, however the shots have been taken from third person views but as close ups so that all of the sound can be heard and emotions can be easily conveyed.
Once the boys are in the plane, they start fiddling with all of the knobs and levers shouting things such as 'dirty Germans!' until the wrong lever is turned and the plane starts up.
As this happens we then see the expression on the boys' faces turn from joy to utter terror in a matter of milliseconds. The plane then starts accelerating along the runway, bouncing up and down as it gains speed until the engine is cut off and the plane skids to a halt just before the end of the runway.
During this scene, the audience are drawn in to the emotion of the boys... The terror of actually flying the plane and not knowing what to do, combined with the excitement and joy of gaining flight for a few seconds. For these shots close-ups of the boys' faces are used, as this is the most direct way of linking an audience in with the emotions being expressed on screen.
After this event, the boys run back to the hanger, 'My dad's going to kill me' being one of the lines said on the way back. And true to this word the dad is very upset by what has happened and drags the boy off and starts to hit him and shout at him. The other boy feels it necessary to take a plank of wood and hit the dad over the head with it to stop him beating up his son.
This scene makes the audience feel more sorry for the boys as they seem to be being treated badly by the father which makes the audience feel sympathy for the boys.
Another trick that has been used to create this feeling is by filming it all from the boys' perspective, so that the audience find it easier to connect with this side of the story.
When the dad is back on his feet the boy with the plank of wood calls him a 'dirty German' to which he goes all soft and less threatening, explaining that he had fought the Germans in the trenches.
This exchange of words has turned the situation on its head, perceiving the boys as being a bit more naive and reckless than was first thought, and the dad being a softer character than was first thought. This swaps the feelings that the audience had for the characters around and now is inviting them to feel sympathy, and almost guilt for wanting to judge him so quickly before they had really got to know the character.
In the final image I have used, the father has just walked off, obviously hurt by the comment given to him by one of the boys, and the son running after him shouting for him. As the boy reaches his father they put their arms around the back of each other, showing a level of trust that has been created from the event.
The feeling the audience has been left with from this is one of a positive nature as the boys are still 'best friends', and there has been no love lost between the father and his son.
Throughout the whole of the 2 minutes opening scene, match on action shooting style has been used.
The colours used are very warm and so gives the audience a feeling of security and safeness. To create this type of colour the director may have used a yellow lens in order to make the image have a sepia-like effect.
We are not actually close to anything yet as far as we know, and this means that the audience has not been asked to have a strong emotional connection with what they are viewing, however this does not deplete the warm feeling given off by the colours used.
This to a certain extent gets rid of the sense of security given by the warm colours as the smoke coming from the plane is either meant to be there, or it is not and the plane is coming in to crash land.
As this gets playing on the viewer's mind we get a close up of the plane for a few seconds.
This effects allows the viewer to see the propeller turning and gives a lot more detail to the plane, despite it being in silhouette, and adds interest to the scene as the viewer is still being given no clue as to why the plane is flying. And what it has to do with the storyline.
for this whole sequence so far there has been no colour that deviates away from the sepia theme, as even the title has been coloured to match the sun.
The fact that this is all happening at dawn may represent freedom as opposed to war (as being the opposite of this). This gives a positive feeling off, and when combined with the warm colours and open spaces really gives a feeling of security.
This is the first piece of footage that has used colour. We can see that the plane is red, and therefore is not a war plane, but probably belongs to a local farmer. From here we can also see that the smoke coming from the plane is meant to be there as the music is still calm and there is no apparent distress going in with the plane or within the cockpit.
From all of these indications, the viewer has almost now been reassured that there is nothing wrong and therefore there are no nervous feelings being made.
In this clip, small, formal text is faded in and out, showing the location and year that this is set in, giving an obvious time scale to the audience on what they expect to see in the theme, as opposed to a modern day theme.
The presence of the barn, and the stationary prop is a classic indicator that we are on a farm.
As we find out in the next couple of shots, there are a couple of young boys, no older than 12 years playing in an old, deceased plane, pressing all of the buttons, pretending that it is real when the plane flies over them when coming in to land. The boys are looking up in awe at the machine flying past them and jump straight in after it has landed and the pilot (one of the boy's dad) has climbed out and left the scene.
We see these shots as a first person, as if we could be there, so this allow us to identify easily with the excited emotions of the boys, however the shots have been taken from third person views but as close ups so that all of the sound can be heard and emotions can be easily conveyed.
As this happens we then see the expression on the boys' faces turn from joy to utter terror in a matter of milliseconds. The plane then starts accelerating along the runway, bouncing up and down as it gains speed until the engine is cut off and the plane skids to a halt just before the end of the runway.
During this scene, the audience are drawn in to the emotion of the boys... The terror of actually flying the plane and not knowing what to do, combined with the excitement and joy of gaining flight for a few seconds. For these shots close-ups of the boys' faces are used, as this is the most direct way of linking an audience in with the emotions being expressed on screen.
This scene makes the audience feel more sorry for the boys as they seem to be being treated badly by the father which makes the audience feel sympathy for the boys.
Another trick that has been used to create this feeling is by filming it all from the boys' perspective, so that the audience find it easier to connect with this side of the story.
When the dad is back on his feet the boy with the plank of wood calls him a 'dirty German' to which he goes all soft and less threatening, explaining that he had fought the Germans in the trenches.
In the final image I have used, the father has just walked off, obviously hurt by the comment given to him by one of the boys, and the son running after him shouting for him. As the boy reaches his father they put their arms around the back of each other, showing a level of trust that has been created from the event.
The feeling the audience has been left with from this is one of a positive nature as the boys are still 'best friends', and there has been no love lost between the father and his son.
Tuesday
Saving Private Ryan
I have chosen to review the opening scenes of Saving Private Ryan as one of my film selections as part of my research. The whole of this opening scene is match-on-action after the flag shot. Also note that there is no camera tinting during the first few opening shots and therefore all of the emotion conveyed across to the audience has to be done using the actors.
This is the initial theme of the beginning of the film, black with smart white text, there is grand but quiet orchestral music starting up in the background at this point (1 min), and the audience are preparing for the movie to start.
Having the black background as opposed to a lighter background or an image that may explain a little more, the viewer has been left to guess for themselves what sort of intro there will be as nothing has been given away so far. This dark background also gives a sense of a lack of security, as black or darkness is often regarded as being ominous or sinister when compared to bright, happy colours.
This image alone sort of gives a blurb to the story line as 'Saving Private Ryan' in white, standing out on a sinister, black background gives a perspective on the war, if you would, a sense that there is always something good in the middle of something worse, i.e. private Ryan being saved, however all of his brothers are dead because of the war.
The first picture the audience sees is the American flag flying strongly in the wind with the sun shining through, glorifying the USA. By this time, brass instruments have also joined in the background orchestra, adding to the sense of glory and pride in seeing the American flag flying the way it is.
Here we see a tracking shot of a person walking hurriedly, but almost awkwardly. Even from here we can see that this person is a member of public, just from the white, smart-casual trousers, and the type of shoes being worn. The audience may have a small idea of what this may end up as, but still have no actual knowing of whom this character may be, or their role.
Still on the same tracking shot, the camera has panned upwards, and from behind what we see is an old man who is walking down what could be anything from a nursing home back yard to a well kept boulevard. The fact that this is a war movie leads us to think that this old man is at a memorial of some kind, especially as we have just seen the grand American flag flying. The fact that he is walking without support shows that the hurriedness that I thought was being portrayed earlier on may actually be a sign of determination. When I watch this piece of film I get a feeling of sadness, or sympathy towards this old man. Maybe its because I've seen the movie before, but maybe its because of the implications of why he may be walking by himself through a place of remembrance.
The picture of the elderly man walking then cuts to a tracking shot from the same point (but 180 degrees horizontal from the last) of who seem to be the man's family. His wife at the front, and their children, and grandchildren in tow.
This then gives the audience more emotional support, as by showing that the old man does have a family and is not alone gives the viewer a more
secure feeling about the situation.
This piece of film is only about 3 seconds long. It shows the elderly man's son/step son taking a photograph of him whilst he is walking along ahead. This action shows that something worth remembering is being done, and this gives the audience a feeling that this must mean a lot to the characters in the film, which allows the audience to relate to the feelings being felt by the family of the old man. Another emphasis on this feeling of emotion is the expression on their faces; nobody looks happy or pleased to be there, but they all look more sad and concerned.
In this shot, the camera is behind all of the characters that we have been introduced to, showing that they are only about three to five meters behind the old man.
As we have worked out that this must be a place of remembrance, the fact that the family is walking a few steps behind the older man my be showing a sign of respect for him as we have already figured out that the cause of visiting this place is for him.
Despite being given all of this information about the characters, the audience can still not be entirely sure where they are, and the reasoning for this group of people to be in this place.
From here we can now see that the first shot of the elderly man, would have been from the perspective of the other family members walking behind.
This is the first time in the move in which we see the elderly man from the front. We start off being able to see him and his family, with the distance between in perspective, and as the camera pans around we get closer and closer to the old man's face until he turns to face us and we are at this point.
The old man, who has still been unidentified, looks as though he has found what he has been looking for, the medium close shot giving the audience an easy way in to feeling this characters emotion. It may become almost overwhelming as the expression on the face of the old man looks as if he is about to cry and let everything out that is bottled up inside.
For the duration of the shot I have just described we get gradually closer and closer to the characters. The director has chosen to do this because it invites the viewer in from a third person point of view, to a first person POV where the ability to feel emotion with the characters in the shot is that much easier to connect with.
Here is the shot straight after the last. It is a close tracking shot of the old man's head as he walks from the path onto the grass, losing the support he is using from the tree when he does.
Again getting even closer to this character's face allows even more of a relation between the emotion between the audience and the actor. This is highlighted when the man almost let out his sadness with tears as he is walking towards whatever is in front of him.
In this shot that I have taken of the opening scene of Saving Private Ryan, our location has been revealed as we are in a military cemetery. The ex-forces officer is also a key sign that this is an important place of remembrance with regards to the war, and the number of headstones in the picture is staggering.
By zooming back out on a pan, the director has lost the direct emotion link with the character, though the impact is still there, and has focused on a different angle of emotion towards the place that the scene is taking place, as just seeing this number of headstones really puts into perspective how many lives were lost in battle during WWII.
To finish the opening scene, there is a part where the elderly man kneels down in front of one of the headstones and crumbles into tears. This is where the family first come into direct contact with the old man as his wife and son and daughters crouch down and hug him for comfort.
Once this scene has finished (after zooming into the old man's eye) we are sent back in time to the landing beaches (where when you add 1 and 1 together you realise that this military cemetery he is visiting is at the lending beaches, present day. In this time shift, there is no grey scale change, however a blue filter has been used to show that this is a sinister and dangerous place to be.
secure feeling about the situation.
As we have worked out that this must be a place of remembrance, the fact that the family is walking a few steps behind the older man my be showing a sign of respect for him as we have already figured out that the cause of visiting this place is for him.
Despite being given all of this information about the characters, the audience can still not be entirely sure where they are, and the reasoning for this group of people to be in this place.
From here we can now see that the first shot of the elderly man, would have been from the perspective of the other family members walking behind.
The old man, who has still been unidentified, looks as though he has found what he has been looking for, the medium close shot giving the audience an easy way in to feeling this characters emotion. It may become almost overwhelming as the expression on the face of the old man looks as if he is about to cry and let everything out that is bottled up inside.
For the duration of the shot I have just described we get gradually closer and closer to the characters. The director has chosen to do this because it invites the viewer in from a third person point of view, to a first person POV where the ability to feel emotion with the characters in the shot is that much easier to connect with.
Again getting even closer to this character's face allows even more of a relation between the emotion between the audience and the actor. This is highlighted when the man almost let out his sadness with tears as he is walking towards whatever is in front of him.
By zooming back out on a pan, the director has lost the direct emotion link with the character, though the impact is still there, and has focused on a different angle of emotion towards the place that the scene is taking place, as just seeing this number of headstones really puts into perspective how many lives were lost in battle during WWII.
Once this scene has finished (after zooming into the old man's eye) we are sent back in time to the landing beaches (where when you add 1 and 1 together you realise that this military cemetery he is visiting is at the lending beaches, present day. In this time shift, there is no grey scale change, however a blue filter has been used to show that this is a sinister and dangerous place to be.
Friday
Thursday
Titanic
The use of sepia as opposed to just plain black and white adds to the emotion given off by the people (real footage often has more of an impact on the viewer than if 'artificial' footage is used). Black and white movies often carry a lot less emotion than a film shot in sepia as sepia provides warmth and a feeling of security to the picture, whereas the b/w picture is very cold, making it more difficult for the viewer to want to be involved.
The shot has been taken from an elevated point over the crowd, but not above the ship. This positioning gives the viewer a third party view of the scene, as opposed to being a first person, in the crowd. By doing this the director is asking the audience not to involve themselves with the people in the shot.
Putting these affects together, the audience gets a happy feeling from the scene as they are able to see the emotion of the people being shot in the scene, a mixture of pride, sadness, and happiness, coupled with the warm tone of the image created by using the sepia effect.
In this scene, the camera pans initially from the bulk of the crowd, lifting slightly as the picture shifts towards the ship, making it the importance of the emotion of the crowd become less, and make the ship then become the greater emotional focus, making it more of and icon than it started off as.
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After the previous picture (above), it fades into this picture of water, swelling around. The main change with this scene change is that colour is brought in.By doing this the director again presents an obvious change in time, as the sepia effect has been lost and full colour now seems to be in use. This tells the audience that they are now viewing in modern day real-time, as opposed to being in the past, watching the ship leave the port.
The other major change is again with the colour. The director has chosen to use dark colours with fairly high contrast, creating a very dark blue effect, but related to a grey scale effect. By using this technique a sinister feeling is made. This feeling is then carried forward in the next scene when a submarine is seen inspecting the sunken ship. (The impact of the warm looking first scenes now is given an even greater impact on the audience as it means that all the joy and high emotion in the crowd has been completely destroyed as almost all of the people on the ship are now dead).
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Throughout the title sequence in Titanic, there is no immediate real-time noise/sound until we get to the submarine scene. This acapella voice (in link) is a very empty piece of music, making a contrast in how the viewer sees the opening sepia images. Even though a warm feeling should be created from the film itself, the cold sounding voice in the background gave an underlying sinister feel to these scenes, being fulfilled in the part where real-time is brought in and the sunken ship is first seen. This effect has been used very powerfully as the audience does feel great sad emotion from these scenes, possibly even to an overwhelming level.
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