BLOGGER TEMPLATES AND TWITTER BACKGROUNDS

Opening Sequence

Preliminary Exercise

Friday, October 16, 2009

Continuity Sequence- The Chat up Line




Who did you work with and how did you manage the task between you?

I was working in a group of three for this task, I was working with Hugh and Patricia, for the planning stage of our project will all contributed the same amount, sharing our ideas and making sure our final plan was something we all agreed on. When we where filming, Patricia and I were the actors and Hugh was filming, but we made sure we went through each shot after it was taken and made sure we liked it ,if we didn’t we discussed how to improve the shot. Hugh was filming as he was more confident with a camera then me and i am able to act. For the editing stage, we split the sequence up into three as there were three of us and we each did a third of the editing. Hugh editing the first 4 shots me the next 3 shots and patricia the last 4. Patricia edited the fade away to our names as she is new to media this year and we wanted to give her a chance to improve her editing skills.

How did you plan your sequence? What processes did you use? What theories did you try to take into account?

When we were planning our sequence we decided to sit down and have a group meeting discussing any ideas we had, when we came up with the idea of a chat up line, we decided to go to the computer room where we were filming and walk through our sequence, after we knew what we wanted to do we story-boarded the sequence so we knew exactly what shots we needed to shoot. After we had shot our sequence we watched all the tape back through as the group and made any suggestions we had to improve our sequence, we then re-took the shots we thought needed some improvement. The theory we took into account for our sequence was continuity, we used many techniques in order to achieve a good flow in our sequence including, , the 180 degree rule and shot-reverse shot. In order to make our sequence flow we made sure that there wasn’t a big difference between consecutive shots, for example we started with a mid-shot of a boy walking through the doors, then it zooms out to a long shot of him, then back to a mid-shot, we didn’t do any drastic changes for example a long-shot to a big close-up. We also used match on action three times in our sequence, we thought that it made the sequence look much more professional and make it flow better.

What technology did you use to complete your task and how did you use it?

We used a lot of technology throughout our project, the camera we used to shot our sequence was a Cannon HV-30, with a mini DV tape, for our audio we used a shot-gun mic which connected to the top of the camera, and we also used headphones to listen to our shots so we need exactly what it would sound like on the computer. We also had a tripod to make sure the camera was as stable as possible, and a clapper-board so we knew which shot we were shooting. When we were editing we used Adobe Premier Pro, we had an output monitor next to our main computer monitor where we could play back our sequence and check everything was how we wanted it to be. On the programme we used twin audio and film tracks so our shots could be laid out clearly.

What factors did you have to take into account when planning, shooting and editing?

When we were planning our sequence had to take into account we only had three group members, this meant that only one person was able to film, this person was Hugh as Patricia and I were acting, therefore we had to plan shots that Hugh was comfortable in filming. When planning we also had to consider the other groups filming in the same location as us, we didn’t want to have many shots that were outside in the corridor as we knew other groups would be using the same area and we would have less time to shoot them. We also had to take into account time management when planning our sequence we only had an hour and 20minutes to film so we coulnd't take too long on one particular shot. When we were filming we had to take into account any audio errors that made be made, for example any unwanted noises, this meant we would film the shot a few times to be sure we had one we were able to use. we had to consider the weather also, we had to shot all the outside scenes at the same time incase of a sudden change in the weather, which would make it look like there has been a big jump in time which wasn't planned. When we were editing our sequence we had to take into account that some of our group members weren’t as confident using the programme as others, we made sure that we all did the same amount of editing and if someone didn’t understand what to do we would help them until they were able to do it right, We also made sure when editing everyone was happy with the outcome, and if anybody had any suggestions we would try them out to see if they worked better.

How successful was your sequence? What worked well? And what would you improve/do differently?

In our sequence a boy walks past the computer room door and glances inside at a girl he finds attractive, he then walks in and attempts to chat her up with a cheesy chat up line, this fails and she hurries out of the room, leaving him dissapointed. I am very happy with our final sequence, I think our continuity techniques work well, I think our first match-on-action of the boy walking through the door into the computer works very well and I think the shot-reverse shot works well, with the camera focussing an equal amount of time on both actors. I also think the script works well, the sequence makes sense and there is also some humour added with the punch-line. I think the reaction shots work well also, the reaction shot of the girl looking up at the boy when he walks through the door and then looking back to her work acts as a good cut away. Then the reaction shot of the boy after the girl makes it clear to him she’s not interested adds humour to the sequence. If I could improve the sequence I would improve the second match-on-action, I think this is the main fault of our sequence, the shot is of the boy rolling on his chair towards the girl, the first shot from behind the boy and the second shot from in front of the boy don’t connect well, it is not a smooth cut, the boy is moving much faster in the first shot then he is in the second so this part of the sequence doesn’t work.

What have you learnt from completing this task? How will this learning be significant when completing the rest of your foundation coursework?

I have learnt how to use the technology we used much better then I could before, it had been a long time before I had used the Adobe premier Pro programme and this task acted as a good reminder, which will prove helpful in the future if I need to edit any more film. Also the Technology I used when filming, like the shot-gun mic and the headphones, I am now used to using all this equipment so when it comes to using them next time I will be able to use them to a better standard. I have also learnt a lot about shooting and continuity techniques, like the 180 degree and the 30 degree rule, this knowledge of how to shoot will help me in the future as it will make my look more professional and make it flow better.

Monday, October 12, 2009

Mean girls- Vladimir Propp's Functions

Vladimir Propp constructed a theory that many stories, folktales and modern films all contain the same functions, he created a list of these functions. He also said that in every folktale and story there are the same characters involved, These characters are:

The Hero - who is seeking something
The Villain - who tries to stop the hero from achieving his goal
The Donor - who gives the Hero an item of power
The Helper - Who aids the Hero
The Princess - This could be a person or thing, which acts as an award for the hero
The Dispatcher - Who sends the hero on his Journey
The Father - Who rewards the Hero

1. ABSENTATION:.
2. INTERDICTION:
3. VIOLATION of INTERDICTION.
4. RECONNAISSANCE:
5. DELIVERY:
6. TRICKERY:
7. COMPLICITY: Victim taken in by deception,
8. VILLAINY and LACK: Villain causes harm/injury
9. MEDIATION: Misfortune or lack is made known,
10. BEGINNING COUNTER-ACTION: Seeker agrees to, or decides upon counter-action.
11. DEPARTURE: Hero leaves home;
12. FIRST FUNCTION OF THE DONOR: Hero is tested, interrogated, attacked etc, preparing the way for his/her receiving magical agent or helper (donor);
13. HERO'S REACTION: Hero reacts to actions of future donor (withstands/fails the test, frees captive, reconciles disputants, performs service, uses adversary's powers against him);
14. RECEIPT OF A MAGICAL AGENT: Hero acquires use of a magical agent (directly transferred, located, purchased, prepared, spontaneously appears, eaten/drunk, help offered by other characters);
15. GUIDANCE: Hero is transferred, delivered or led to whereabouts of an object of the search;
16. STRUGGLE: Hero and villain join in direct combat;
17. BRANDING: Hero is branded (wounded/marked, receives ring or scarf);
18. VICTORY: Villain is defeated (killed in combat, defeated in contest, killed while asleep, banished);
19. LIQUIDATION: Initial misfortune or lack is resolved (object of search distributed, spell broken, slain person revivied, captive freed);
20. RETURN: Hero returns;
21. PURSUIT: Hero is pursued (pursuer tries to kill, eat, undermine the hero);
22. RESCUE: Hero is rescued from pursuit (obstacles delay pursuer, hero hides or is hidden, hero transforms unrecognisably, hero saved from attempt on his/her life);
23. UNRECOGNIZED ARRIVAL: Hero unrecognized, arrives home or in another country;
24. UNFOUNDED CLAIMS: False hero presents unfounded claims;
25. DIFFICULT TASK: Difficult task proposed to the hero (trial by ordeal, riddles, test of strength/endurance, other tasks);
26. SOLUTION: Task is resolved;
27. RECOGNITION: Hero is recognized (by mark, brand, or thing given to him/her);
28. EXPOSURE: False hero or villain is exposed;
29. TRANSFIGURATIONPUNISHMENT:
30. WEDDING: Hero marries and ascends the throne (is rewarded/promoted).


which of Vladimir Propp's functions does mean girls have?

1. member of family absents self from home/ hero is introduced - opening scene we are told of the life in india of the main character.

2. interdiction announced- Cady told not to be friends with the plastics

3. interdiction violated- Cady sits down with the plastics at lunch

4. villian tries to meet hero- Plastics invite Cady to join them for lunch

5. villian recieves information about hero- Regina finds out Cady likes aaron

6. villian attempts to decieve hero with trickery- Regina tels aaron she can't be with aaron, because its not allowed in the girl world.

7. Hero is decieved- Cady doesn't try to get with aaron.

8. Villian causes harm- Regina gets with aaron even though she knows Cady likes him.

10. hero decides on counteraction- Cady decides o get her own abck on regina with lizzy and damien

12. Hero prepares for event- Cady looks for any oppurtunity to play with regina. foot cream, weight gain bars.

16. hero and villian in direct combat- Cady gives her nutrition bars to eat, and cuts up her clothes.

19. the object of the quest is obatained- Cady manages to make Reina fat, and she loses opularity.

21. hero is persued- Regina tries to get her own back by blaming the 'Burn Book' on Cady.

24. false hero clains succes of true hero- Regina claims she is veru upset and hur by the things said in the book.

25. Difficult task is set- Cady has to try and get her friends back.

26. Task resolved by true hero- Cady breaks apart Prom Queen crown at prom and shares it with everyone.

27. true hero recogniced- people start to like Cady again.

28. False hero exposed- people are not scared of regina anymore.

29. hero given new appearence- Cady is now a lovely girl that gets on well with every social group at her school.

Critic of Vladimir Propp's theory

The film Mean Girls, which should portray all of these functions only portrays 19 of 31. this emans that a third of the functions that should be i every story line are not shown in this film. This is the first major problem with the theory. However the theory has done well to have 19 different functions included in this modern day film, this theory was made years ago and it is a theory for every story-line so for the majority of functions to be shown in Mean Girls is a succes as it is evidence that the theory will work across a wide variety of different aged films and different genres.

Where does it go wrong?

the main parts of the film where this failed is the assumption that hero has to leave home or go on an adventure, in Mean girls there is a mition set, which is to get revenge on Regina but she doesnt leave home however as she is never aactually part of a social group in the first place, so she is not out of her comfort zone. Snother area where this theory failed is the last two functions, in Mean girls the villian is actually punished, we don't see her losing all her friends and being miserable, we see her thrithing in the La'Cross team with all her team mates as friends. Also Cady at the end of the film isnt the new ruler of the school, she takes a back seat and is just like the rest of the school, on an equal ground to them, so the ascending of the throne function doesn't work.

Saturday, October 3, 2009

Applying Todorov's Theory of Equilibrium




The protogonist in 'Mean girls' is 'Caty' she is a new student at her high school from africa and she is very new to American life. The antagonist are 'The Plastics', a set of three girls that seem to run the school.

'Caty' is new to her school, she is different to all the pupils at her new school as she i from Africa. The plastics run the school at the moment, the are the most popular people in school, and there is a clear divide between all the people at the school. The film starts with a low angle shot through 'Caty's' eyes, of her parents looking down at her, this is used to show how helpless she is, she sn't confident about starting her new school. As she is walking up to the school, many pupils are on either side of her doing their own thing, this shot shows how they are closing in on her and she is on her own. Also the first time we get to see the plastics the director uses a long shot, this makes us feel that we are far away from them, so we feel like a student at the school, we want to get toi know them but we cant as they are more popular than us.

It is clear from the opening scene that there would be some sort of disruption of 'caty's' life by 'the plastics', the way that even though she is the main character alot of the attention is on 'the plastics' makes us think that we would see them again shortly. She has been told by her friends to fear the plastics, her friends dont like them, but they clearly have respect for the most popular girls in school.

The title of the film 'Mean Girls' gives us a clue that 'Caty' won't have the best of relationships with 'the Plastics', another clue we are given is about 'Caty's' friends in the future, the boy and the girl that help her where to sit will clearly be her friend in the rest of the film as they are the only people at school that are willing to talk to her.

There will be a new equilibrium at the end of the film, The whole point of the film is to show the difference between all the social groups in high school, so at the end of the film everybody gets on, there is no more clear divides between the pupils, but instead there is one large group of friends, everybody seems much happier and it seems like a much more enjoyable place to study.

continuity sequence- james bond, casino royale - poker scene



This scene is about a single poker round, there is a vast variety of shots used, you have the big close-up, the long shot of the whole table, and the over the shoulder shot between James Bond and his enemy which means we are able to see exactly wo each player is looking at. the way that in the sequnce we see the shots going from close-ups to mid-shot back to close-ups, results in the sequence flowing well as there is a sudden jump from close-up to long shot, which would look unnatural. Aldo throughout the sequence we see different master shots, there is one when a waiter walks past the table and we see all the players sitting around the poker table, the dealer, the announcer and an audience watching the game. The use of this mastershot means that we are able to see exactly whats going on, we can see what people are looking at, and we are able to see everybody's positions to eachother. There are also a couple of cut aways, the first is the cut aay of the commmunity cards on the poker tanle, this shot is used to break up the action and also to give us fital information about the characters reaction in the scene. The second cut away used is off James Bond's two aquaitences, in this shot the man is telling the woman what is happening at the table, but the home audience is also able to pick up this information from him. The last technique used to make the sequence flow, is the the over the shoulder shot of both main characters in this seen, Bond and his enemy, it is a 180 degree shot and it keeps alternating between them, because of this shot we are able to see the looks they give eachother and the position they always are to eachother. these shots all the action to be broken up so the sequence flows well.

Thursday, October 1, 2009

Accident Sequence



What works about your sequence?
Frstly, there are a variety of shots shown in my sequence, we hav a close up, low-angle, long shot and even a backwards track. this variety makes the sequence look more professional and it makes it more interesting. Secondly we made sure when we storyboarded our sequence that the flow of the sequence was good, in order to do this we made sure we didnt go from a close-up to a long-shot, or a low-angle to a high-angle, throughout our sequence there wasn't a massive dofference between the shots, for example we went from a mid-shot to a long-shot back to a mid-shot. finally our penultimate shot of the boy hitting his head, was fshot by the view of an onlooker, the whole sequnce was leading up to this shot, and we chose to us this view so the audience could witness what was happening and make them laugh, which is the whole point of the sequence.
What doesn't work about your sequence?
The long-shot of the two girls looking at the camera doesn't work very well, it is meant to be the view of the boy, but the type of shot chosen didn't work, we should of used a hand-held shot and walked faster with the camera to give the effect we're the boy, it is an important shot in the sequence as it ties all the shots together but the delivery is poor. Also we are missing an establishing shot in the sequence, we don't get the sense of where we are the sequence starts with a backwards track of the boy, which is a good shot, but its not appropriate to start with. We also needed a master shot of all three characters, so we can get the sense of their position to eachother.
What would you change in your storyboard to make it make sense?
If i could storyboard the sequence again, i would start with an estblishing shot of the path the boys walking on, which also has the bit of the field the girls are sitting on in the frame, this will tell the audience where the characters are. I would also have an over the shoulder shot of the boy with his head directed towards the girls, so it is clear what he is looking at, because the sequence lacks a master shot we don't actually know where he is looking, and the whole point of the sequence is that he has an accident because he is concentrating on the girls and not where he is walking.