Preliminary Sound Task - I Like Your Hat

This is our preliminary sound task "I Like Your Hat" that was filmed and edited by; myself, David Rawana, Sarah Lemmerman and Thea Staff. 

Our location for this film was an empty classroom as it was perfect for what we wanted to do and we would not be in a position to distract other pupils. However we did end up encountering some problems with other pupils from our class wanting to use the corridor at the same time as us but we managed to come to an agreement and share the space. We also managed to film all of our film in one lesson so we didn't need to worry about coming back. 

We had a rough script to work from, a basic guideline and a few set rules to work from as stated in my previous post. However, we mostly improvised and created our final script as we were going along. We also decided to add a comedy aspect to our film as we thought it worked better than anything more serious and would make our piece a whole lot more interesting. 

Preliminary Task Draft

For our preliminary task we were told to follow an approximate script that followed as so:

- Character A towards a closed door.
- Character A opens the door and goes into the room where character B is waiting. 
- Character A and B exchange lines. 
- Character A or B leaves room. 


During this task we were told to use certain techniques in our video, these were:

- Match on Match Action. - When a character starts an action in one shot and completes that action in the next shot. 

-180 Degree Rule. - This is a 'rule' of filming that states that the camera must never cross an imaginary line between the two characters having a conversation, to keep the characters on the same side to the camera. 

- Eyeline match. - This is where the camera switches between the two people having a conversation and so the audience can tell easily that they are talking to each-other. 

180 Degree Rule

What is a MacGuffin?

A MacGuffin is a device used in many films, mostly thrillers, that acts as a goal or an objective that either the protagonist or the antagonist wishes to reach or achieve. This is what usually kick-starts the film as the pro/antagonist is desperate to pursue this motivator. The MacGuffin is a large part of a film however it is usually not the main focus of the film. It is usually what starts off the film and for the rest of film acts as a background element that is always there until the very end when the protagonist or antagonist reaches their goal. Some good examples of a MacGuffin in films we have previously studied are: The money that has been stolen in the film 'Psycho' and the antagonists smuggling microfilm in 'North by Northwest'.

What is a Graphic Match?

A graphic match (or a 'match cut')  is a commonly used technique that is mostly used as a transition between scenes. It is used by getting two similar looking subjects or the same subject and putting them in the same place on the screen but in different scenes. The transition is usually executed with a fade or dissolve. Here are some examples of a graphic match in films. 

Psycho - Film Analysis

Psycho is a very well known thriller/horror directed by Alfred Hitchcock in 1960. The film is set mainly in a small, segregated, secluded motel that [Marion Crane] 'Leigh' goes to after stealing a large sum of money ($40,000) from her employer. Little does she know that she will soon be the victim of a horrible murder. 

Psycho is great example of a thriller movie as it holds many components of what makes up a typical thriller film. One of the components that this film exploits perfectly to create the feeling and tension of a thriller movie is the use of sound. The are many ways that sound is used in Psycho that helps to add tension such as; eerie music and non-diegetic sounds. During the famous, well-known shower scene there a background noise of deep, bellowing bass that amplifies as Marion Crane's murderer's silhouette gets closer and closer. Also, when the curtain in pulled and the knife is exposed to Marion Crane a large screeching sound plays over the top, this use of non-diegetic sound is used to scare the audience. 

"WATCHYOBAK!" - My First Short Movie - Review

This short camera exercise was carried out just so we could get used to the camera and practice our camera techniques for our coursework. 
I made this short sequence with David Rawana, we had a very limited time to shoot and edit this hence why it is so short. 
Originally we drew out a storyboard that we were planning to follow, however, as we were in the process of filming we came up with new ideas and changed the story slightly but sticking roughly to our original idea at the same time. 
We tried to use as many shot types as we could within this very short time period we had. We used shot types such as; tracking shot, low down (worms eye) shot, still shot, close up, mid shot et cetera. This was to show our knowledge of different shot types and how they can be used effectively in a short movie. 

Thriller Openings

There are many aspects that make up a good thriller opening; such as, camera angles, camera movement, editing, sound etc. Each one of these factors is just as important as the other in contributing to the opening of a thriller movie. 

Title are a surprisingly 

James Bond

James Bond is world widely known character from a long series of films