Initial Ideas

Initial Ideas



Film Genres
1.Action
2.Adventure/Sci-Fi
3.Comedy
4.Crime
5.Drama
6.Horror
7.Musicals
8.Westerns

Initially I would like to keep my film ideas modern and stick to realistic titles such as an action or drama (plus a comedy,horror or crime) because they would not require much props and would be easier to film compared to that of a Science-Fiction film which would take too much time to make and production value which we don't have.

With that in mind I would like my movie to be categorised into the Drama/Crime or Horror genres. This is because they would be the easiest to make with the time given and I have plenty of ways to structure our task because there are many different types of sub genres to take advantage of.

Horror

My idea for a horror would be focused on the slasher sub genre. My first idea would be about a random killing which is stumbled on by a student who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.The killer then goes on a spree but we would mostly want to keep the audience in suspense for what they will do next.The idea of having a horror based in a college/school has been used so many times but this is only because most of them have been based in the US. I like the idea of having a gritty slasher horror based in a college from the UK. It helps to give the movie more suspense and there are plenty locations in the college which help to add a dark atmosphere.

The characters would be kept to a minimum of 6 or less (4 members of our group help to add that plus possible help from fellow peers/teachers.)

We would say that we got the funding from Film4 productions because not only is it located in the UK but they also produce quite a lot of independent films.

Drama

My first idea for a drama would be focused on a chase. Two young kids have just robbed a local corner shop and just when they think there about to get out into the clear, the store owner comes out and then a chase begins to ensue.the chase will be revolved around tight corners and I would like the camera work to be quite sloppy so to help to add immersion and adds an effect to the chase.

There would only be a total of 3 characters needed  (a simple shop owner and 2 kids.)

The funding would be from DNA films, Who have produce films such as 28 Weeks Later and The Last King Of Scotland.

Action

My initial idea for an action film would be focused on the plot this time rather than just the action scenes itself. This means that the characters would have to be developed so they have some form of story arc. The plot involves a man trying to look for his father only to find out that he is a dangerous man included into a gang. As he begins to dig deeper to find more information about him and why he left he starts to ask if the journey is really worth it. The film has its ups and downs and would be an emotional roller-coaster, asking the audience to question if the movie had a deeper meaning or was it just meant to be a feel good movie?

The movie would include a whole heap of characters because there would be some flashback scenes and different members of his family included in each timeline to either help or hinder him.

The movie would be produced by DNA film productions not only because they are located in the UK but they also made films like Trainspotting which has a similar style to the film I am looking for.

Editing Technique

Video Editing

Continuity editing is guiding an audience through a sequence of events, showing them what to see and when. Ultimately, telling a story with a logical conclusion. Good editors at times break conventions to achieve dramatic effect. This is could be used to create tension too. An editor should always keep in mind what the audience expects to see but could also want to leave some things open to interpretation.

Accelerating time is when an editor edits a sequence into progressively shorter shots to create a mood of tension or excitement. In action movies accelerated motion often is used to speed up awkward moments in fight and crash scenes in made-for-TV movies, many of whose directors haven't the time or skill to stage these scenes so they will be properly effective at regular speed.

Expanding time is when an editor will want to drag out what is happening beyond the actual time represented in real life. Disaster movies for example use decelerated or slow motion to draw out explosions, crashes, and other action sequences. This allows the audience to develop suspenseful anticipations about outcomes

Showing causality is often a part of continuity editing and it suggests or explains cause. Showing causality normally goes hand in hand with a good script suggesting or explaining why things happen. Sometimes we assume the cause. If we see a shot of someone with all the symptoms of being drunk, we can safely assume they have been drinking (cause). The sequence of how editors show the sequence could be something that could be tried and tested e.g. showing the results first and then the cause instead of the normal way of doing it.

Showing motivation includes any one of the age-old motives, including money, jealousy and revenge. Even if the motivation is revenge, revenge must have a cause.

Cause, Effect, Motivation editors must perceive the dynamics of these cause-and-effect relationships to skilfully handle them. Editors must also have an understanding of human psychology so that they can portray feelings and events realistically. Also keeping in mind to not reveal answers (motivation) too quickly.

An Insert shot is a shot that occurs in the middle of a larger scene or shot, usually a close-up of some detail or object, that draws audience attention, provides specific information, or simply breaks up the film sequence.

A cutaway is a cut that takes us from the central action to some scene that compares with, explains, connects with, or contrasts with it. The cut-away we're most used to seeing is the jump-cut (see "Cut") from a plan being explained to its dramatic consequences. This device speeds up plot development by relying upon the clarity of the implicit logical connection between the shots and the sophistication of the cut's audience.

Relational editing refers to the human tendency to try to establish a relationship between scenes. A series of shots can take on a cause and effect significance when edited together in a sequence.

In thematic editing images are edited together based only on a central theme. Unlike other types of editing, thematic editing does not develop an idea in a logical sequence. Thematic editing, (often referred to as montage editing) is a rapid sequence of shots designed to elicit feelings or call upon common experiences.

Cross-cutting is a method of editing in which the point of view (p.o.v.) switches alternately from events at one location to those of another related action. The action is usually simultaneous and used to create a dynamic tension as in the chase scene for example. Cross cutting could also be used by cutting back and forth between two or more stories within the overall story, pace is varied and the viewer interest is heightened.

In thematic editing, images are edited together based only on a central theme. Unlike other types of editing, thematic editing does not develop an idea in a logical sequence. Thematic editing,

(often referred to as montage editing) is a rapid sequence of shots designed to elicit feelings or call upon common experiences. This type of editing is often used in music videos, commercials, and movie trailers.

When the segments are cut together to follow multiple (different) story lines, it's referred to as parallel cutting. By cutting back and forth between two or more mini-stories within the overall story, pace is varied and the viewer interest is heightened.Today's dramas typically have eight or ten major characters, and although intertwined with the main drama, each has their own continuing story.

                                                                                                                                                               

Preliminary Task Evaluation

1.At a micro, technical level, how well did you observe the conventions of continuity and the language of editing?

There wasn't much editing needed really because we decided to cut off each shot at a certain time so that when adding them to the editing software the shots would just work consistently.However, there was some form of editing used. for example, shots in which the camera would cut at the wrong time meaning that we would have to cut the scene shorter or when a client is just about to enter the door but he has already entered it.There was also some "editing" used in the last scene.By this I mean that when the patient has a mental breakdown and says "I SAID DONT KNOW WHO I AM!" I decided to close off the camera lens in order to add dramatic flair and added a title at the end which says "To be continued..."  which had an all black background so the writing was bold and clear. I also decided to use a title at the beginning to give the audience some idea of what our film will be about/focused on.I did not use a black background however cause I felt that it would've clashed with the establishing shot so I just put the title in with the shot instead of the black background and it worked well actually. The scene where the Psychiatrist meets the patient the screen cuts to black. the scene afterwards looked weird because it cuts from the doctor opening the door to them already sitting down and because of this I decided to add a cross fade ( make a picture or sound appear or be heard gradually as another disappears or becomes silent.) to help suggest that some time has passed before the scene and help to establish whats happening.



2)What were you pleased with?What seems to work well and why?

I was pleased with the effort given into the editing because we decided to try many different camera techniques meaning that we had the ability to work with different effects post editing like using cross fade to help suggest that time has passed between scenes in the movie world.I was also pleased with the story line because we decided to try something completely different and nothing too conventional like a drug deal which has been used before in different groups.Lastly, the location we used help to fit perfectly with the fact that the whole story was supposed to be about someone going to a psychiatrist and the dynamic of the school plus the locations (I was particularly pleased with the shot in which Danny walks through the revolving doors because because the whole shot transitioned well from Danny entering through the glass doors to Danny opening the door entering the reception.) helped to fit that idea perfectly.

3)What mistakes did you make?What would you have differently?

We did have a few problems with clashes of opinions meaning that certain members of the groups wanted to film a certain shot whereas others did not.It was also difficult to try and cut different shots together to a professional standard because the camera was either shaking or the character in the scene was in a different position to the other shot where he is in a completely different place entirely  place. Another difficulty that we we really had would be trying to gather the film location because a teacher was using the conference room we need for a scene or people would get in the scene because they needed to get somewhere.However, all in all we did not have that many problems all in all when filming.

4)How did you manage the group dynamics,equipment and resources?

        

         The equipment was pretty minimal because we did not use much. We used a phone so that the scene where Danny (the patient) could be evaluated looks professional because most patient-client psychiatric evaluations are recorded for later use. we also used a pass so that the shot in which our character is entering a electronic door can enter smoothly so that we can transition to the next shot with ease. The group dynamic was fairly simple. We only filmed on two days. the first day was strictly business and everything was finished quickly to a good enough standard. The second day was the opposite.This was because we had finished most of our shots, and started to encounter the problems where members from outside our group were beginning to mess with our shots (Teachers I mean, not students.)There was also a lot of joking in the group because of interference as it did take us a long time in order to film some shots.for resources, we decided to write our shots out on a piece of paper. Most of our shots were kept simple, we used each and every shot/rule included on the power point which were match on action, shot/reverse shot and the 180-degree rule especially because otherwise the whole movie would've looked disorientated and jumbled but decided to add some more like the over the shoulder shot between the psychiatrist and the patient cause it looked interesting and helped for the audio because the camera was closer.We also were given the task of creating separate edits so we could experiment with different effects post editing which was a good idea in hindsight.

5)What problems did you encounter logistically?
Audio was not in sync and didn't work.It took us a while to get it back in sync which took some time away from us editing.Other than that we did not require that many problems logistically.