How effective are the openings of different short films?

Copy of What makes an effective opening scene? on Prezi

News-inluenced Movie Ideas - Part 3

When the winners of all the previous seasons of Americas Next Top Model receive an email, they packed their bags and were ready to go without a second thought. Well if Tyra Banks emails you about ‘finally getting what you all deserve’, along with a confirmation of a first class to Miami, wouldn’t you do the same? But when the girls’ private jet lands, they never get to step out into the Miami sunshine. Instead, they wake up tied to chairs in a seedy apartment. It transpires that Annabelle, a girl who unsuccessfully auditioned for all 16 seasons, has come up with a way to guarantee she would win the next season. She would combine the essence of all of the previous winners, therefore making herself the perfect Top Model hybrid. All she has to do is just drain all of their blood and prepare to ingest liquid victory...

http://www.metro.co.uk/weird/878473-superman-fan-undergoes-decade-of-plastic-surgery-to-look-like-superhero

News-inluenced Movie Ideas - Part 1

By the year 2060 medicine has evolved to the point where humanity no longer has to fear illness. For every virus, allergy or disease there is a pill to pop that can eradicate it. People even stopped having to take so many safety precautions to protect against sexually transmitted diseases. That is, until a new hybrid of all the known STIs is formed. No one could have guessed that this symptom-less super-disease could result in only one thing: Spontaneous combustion. People all around the world are exploding from the inside out, with scientists trying and failing to develop a cure. So when after a few ‘indiscretions’ at a United Nations summit literally makes the world’s leaders ticking time bombs, a group of medical students are the last hope to stop the world descending into chaos.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/ireland/8783929/Irish-pensioner-died-of-spontaneous-human-combustion.html

News-inluenced Movie Ideas - Part 1

The birth of identical twin girls would be a joyous occasion in any family. And naming these little miracles is something many parents would think painstakingly about. But, for these new parents, the decision was clear. The girls would be named Thing 1 and Thing 2 like the mischievous twin creatures in The Cat In The Hat. Many relatives begged them to reconsider, for the children’s sake, but the parents refused. As a result social services were ultimately called and the children removed on the grounds that choosing such names was a form of cruelty in itself. The twins were eventually returned to their parents on their 10^th birthday, but the care home they were in had definitely taken its toll on them psychologically, especially after the tragic fire that had killed all inside. All but the twins. So when they manage to get their hands on lighter fluid and a box of matches you better believe they're capable of levels of mischief their namesakes could only dream of.

http://www.metro.co.uk/news/879905-adolf-hitlers-parents-lose-custody-of-their-three-children

How effective are the opening sequences we watched in class?

In class we watched a few VERY different opening sequences, to try and inspire us for when we start to plan and write our own opening sequences.

All three of the clips we watched showed the protagonists feelings in some way, as well as prompting an emotive reaction from the audience. In Salam Bombay, there is a moment were there is a close up of the child with a horrified expression on his face. There is no sound (other than the boy’s heavy breathing) and the shot is shown for several seconds. This builds up tension, until the next shot shows an empty space where the circus he was traveling with was. In this moment the audience experiences real empathy, conjuring up all several questions: Why have they left him? Will they come back for him? What will he do next? In Ali, the entire opening sequence is a montage which includes a close up of the main character punching some kind of boxing-training equipment repeatedly and at a fast pace, with the shot taken from behind the equipment. The effect of this than rather, say just a regular close up of his face, shows his determination to improve his boxing skills, almost as if it’s just as much a part of his character as any expression on his face. A similar idea is used in 8 ½, but in a different way. While the other 2 movies told a story through the characters facial expression, the face of the main character in 8 ½ is never actually seen. I think this is a very effective idea, as the audience is never too sure about how he is reacting to all of the surreal events happening to him, which could make it quite an ambiguous opening.

Sound is another medium used in these films to convey some kind of tone. In Salam Bombay, there are only a few lines of dialogue and non-diegetic music playing throughout the scene. In the part of the scene where the child runs towards the empty fairground, the music quickens, reflecting the character’s sense of urgency. Ali, however uses the music to reflect the time the film was set in, as there is jazz music (both diegetic and non-diegetic at different points), reflecting both the decade and the surge of black music during that time. Also, it’s quite significant that the only dialogue heard in the sequence is that of the people trying to crush his spirit (heckling by the police while he’s running) and those trying to tell him how to combat the prejudice he faces (preacher in the church). This gives the audience an insight to the kind of contradictory feelings he must have, making the audience empathise with him from the very start. In 8 ½, there is no dialogue, but a really poignant point in the scene is when the main character is locked in a car and is gassed. He begins to bang on the window with the palms of his hands which – set against the eerie silence around him and the fact that everyone else in the scene is watching him die rather than helping – makes the audience feel very uncomfortable, as if they are watching something quite horrific. Interestingly, in all three openings the protagonist never atually has any dialogue, meaning the audience has to rely on enterpreting their actions rather than their words.

Prelim Task - Final Product

How to make an interesting blog

From the above video, i have learnt that to make a good, interesting blog, it is helpful to try to make it reflect your personality. Things like including a personal anecdote can kind of endear you to potential readers, making them feel that they have an incite to you as a person and not as just a faceless voice through a screen. Also, i did learn some tips that could be quite useful for specific posts (especially for the main task we're about to start), such as making posts interactive by including things such as polls, or putting things in lists so people feel they are getting information in bite-sized chunks.




This video didn't exactly teach me anything, so much as it made me think a bit more in-depth about some of the more obvious things you would consider while blogging. For example, it really emphasises the importance of having your target audience in mind while writing, which can really set an excellent blog apart from an average one.

Prelim Summary

 For our prelim task, we worked in pairs to produce a short sequence in which a character enters a room, sits down, has some dialogue with another character and then leaves. We had to plan out our plot using a storyboard, script the sequence, devise a shooting schedule and use two non-media students as our cast. I worked with David, and during the development process, he was in charge of doing the treatment and storyboard, while I wrote the script and found the cast. In terms of time management, we did manage our time quite well, as we were able to complete all specified tasks during class time.

The first thing we had to do was to brainstorm some ideas, which we then whittled down to a few favorites, and then down to our final idea. Since many of the prelim tasks from previous years we were shown usually had quite serious subject matters, we decided to do something a bit more unique and go for a sequence that appears to be serious, but with a comical twist. I then thought of the idea of what seems to be a drug trade, but actually turns out to be just selling snacks. I then wrote the script, while David drew out a storyboard to accompany it. However, we did encounter a problem on the day of filming when we were told our storyboard was incorrect, leaving us with little time to complete it. As a result, it was not completed by the time we started filming the scene, which meant we had to decide which angles to do on location. This is both a strength and weakness, as while we were able to make quick decisive decisions, they did stem from lack of organisation. Next time, I would make sure that the storyboard is completed immediately after the script, as these are some of the most important factors in planning.

For the task, we only needed to use a camera and a tripod. This equipment was very expensive, so we did feel quite anxious about using it. Even though we had practiced with the cameras before, there we some things I did learn on the project. I learnt that you literally always have to be thinking about the aesthetics of the shot, especially since the Rule of Thirds was a criteria we had to consider in our work. Also, we learnt it is always best to leave a few seconds on either end of the scene after pressing record, so that the camera isn't still focusing and adjusting through some of your scene. More than anything, this project has taught me that practice makes perfect, as I’m definitely a lot more confident in my use of the technology.

While planning we had to take into account any possible problems we could face. We then carried out a location recce, to ensure that we addressed any issues before we needed to begin shooting. Through this, we realised that our chosen location could possibly not be available to us, as it was usually used for detentions on the day we needed to film. Fortunately, we found this out fairly early on in the planning process, so were able to change location to a nearby room without any problems. For the shooting, we had to take into account the availability of the actors. At the start of shooting one of our actors suddenly had to leave. Luckily, we had an extra actor who was able to take his place. Also, while carrying out the location recce, we found that it would be difficult to find a time when the hallway would be empty. We resolved this by leaving the shots in the hallway right until the end (about 2 hours after school had actually finished).
When editing we had to take into account that neither of us really knew what we were doing since we had little/no experience with the software, so patience was key.

I’d say our sequence was quite successful. I think I did really well with the match-on-action, considering I had never edited before. I also think David and I worked really well together. We knew who was stronger in each aspect of the process and delegated tasks accordingly, and both shared our different ideas and were able to compromise. If I were to do anything differently, it would be to be as focused on the planning side of things as we were on time management. For example, as important as it was that we were out of our location by a certain time, if we had planned better, we could have had more time to do some more shots from a few different angles.

I would say I have learnt quite a lot completing the task. The most surprising is that I’ve learnt that working with another person can actually help rather than hinder. Usually, I am the kind of person where if I want something done right, I will tend to take over and want to do it all myself. However, I have learnt that it can be good to have a second pair of hands/eyes/ears, as having a partner made setting up much quicker and simple, as well as the fact that it means you can see things from an alternative perspective. After this task, I now understand what people mean when they say ‘2 heads are better than one’. Secondly, I have learnt that planning is essential for the final product to be successful. In hindsight, there are probably a few aspects that may have gotten overlooked along the way. On the other hand, I doubt we would have learnt as much about problem solving had we not had to overcome some of those problems. I also learnt that while editing can be very intricate and complicated, it is also something I have grown to quite enjoy. In terms of technical skills, my knowledge of the equipment has definitely vastly expanded. For example, in comparison to the first couple of times we had worked with the cameras prior to the task, the time it took to set up the camera and tripod had probably halved. Also, we found it surprisingly easy to keep on top of time management, whereas we learnt that in the next task we would definitely need to be a lot more organised

The editing part actually makes the gravity of the task a bit more real, as you actually get to see all of your work up there on a screen. Although occasionally it could be a bit monotonous, the intricacy and concentration needed to get it perfect can be kind of relaxing. I’d say that as we progressed and got more acquainted with the software, it definitely became easier.  Although we were pretty much on schedule by the time we finished editing, we didn’t put any time limits on each task, which could have turned out badly. Next time I would try and plan the use of my time more, especially if it was a longer sequence.

Prelim Treatment

Secret type exchange, very inconspicuous and secretive.

Girl enters room, boy sits at empty table and girl sits next to him.

Girl and boy speak and trade small item not clearly seen continue with dialogue and storms off.