Continuity Filming Test Shoot

I think that the purpose of the practical was to see if we knew the basics of continuity in film and if we could produce something that makes logical sense with several restrictions. We had very little time to 'script', storyboard and film the sequence with no chance to edit or review it during the shoot. We also had to include a range of shot types to make it interesting whilst also paying attention to everything so that it seemed continuous.

In my opinion, the finished sequence worked to an extent although with hindsight, a lot would be changed. The things I do like about this sequence are:

• The esthablishing shot works well at showing the location (outside, in a school playground) clearly.
• There are a variety of shot types; Long Shot, Mid - Shot, Mid - Close - Up, Over - The Shoulder.
• The camera movement was smooth in the first shot (the pan) and doesn't jerk around too much.
• These shot types are continuous; they flow between similar shot types instead of jumping directly from a Long - Shot to an Extreme - Close - Up.
• The narrative is simple and easy for a viewer to follow: girl walking, girl's friend distracts her, girl walks into a pole.
• The framing is good in the shots, most of the cut-off points remain the same in the shots, including those with camera or character movement.
• We kept to the 180 - Degree rule by staying on one side of the action so that the perspective didn't become too confusing.span>

Watching the sequence back I do see several areas for improvement, some could have been changed with hindsight, other would have to be done in editing:

• It's too fast, despite the simple narrative, this sequence moves so quickly that most viewers may not be able to follow the action clearly enough.
• In the second shot, the camera moves too much, this tracking crab is hard to do, we could have probably done with more practice doing it until it was smooth or found another way to make it smooth, e.g. something with wheels to push it on.
• The backgrounds are very busy and distracting, we could have tried to choose a better place to film this sequence as the background has too much going on in it. For example, the 4th shot has a game of netball in the background.
• The match on action isn't perfect, every time we stopped filming, we had to tell the actors to go back to where we thought they were when we stopped recording. This created several visible jumps for the characters in each shot, especially in from the 5th to 6th shots when they stop moving before walking into the pole.
• The sound is bad, this would have to be done in post - production, but the sound changes too much for each shot. Personally I would either want to do this on a day without wind or making a sound bridge and place it over the sequence.
• Some of the initial shots break the 30 - Degree rule because they appear so similar to each other, it looks like a jump or a glitch.

By doing this activity, I have learnt a lot about the importance of on-screen continuity and the attention to detail that filmmakers have to have. I now also know that sequences need to be made very clear, well esthablished and paced so that a viewer can follow it's narrative. Without these techniques being used, most films probably wouldn't make as much sense.

Opening Sequences Comparison (Legally Blonde and Se7en)

Legally Blonde and Se7en are very different films. Legally Blonde is a happy, bright comedy aimed at teenagers and starring Reese Witherspoon. Se7en is a dark, gritty police / crime drama thriller starring the serious Morgan Freeman. As a result of these differences in genre, narrative plot and characters; these films have extremely different opening sequences. Let's see how they're different and why...

Narrative Information & Expectations

• Legally Blonde has 2 different narratives in the opening sequence; a good luck card being passed between several teenage girls whilst they sign it for somebody called "Elle" ( who we later find out is the girl getting ready ), and another blonde teenage girl getting prepared for an event. Both of these narratives merge when the good luck card is given to the girl getting ready. From my previous experience of films, the good luck card suggests that something bad's going to happen at this event.
• Se7en's opening sequence focuses on one narrative with one main character and one supporting characters. The first shots show an old man ( who we discover to be Detective Somerset ) getting ready for work. We then discover that he is a detective as he works at a crime scene, trying to answer questions when another younger detective ( Mills ) arrives late chewing gum. About 3 minutes into the film Somerset says "...over the next seven days..." which is a good example of foreshadowing, highly suggesting that something is going to happen over the next seven days.
• Although these films are extremely different, both of these opening sequences clearly esthablish who is / are the main character(s) of the film and give some subtle suggestion of what we can expect from the storyline as a whole and what roles the characters will probably play.

Character Descriptions & Types

• Legally Blonde is clearly going to focus around a caucasian, blonde girl called Elle, from the opening sequence, we get several ( literal ) signs that she is popular e.g. "Homecoming Queen" and "President...". Her room has many branded products such as "Prada" which all connotate that she is wealthy. From many stereotypes in media and the fact they actually put "blonde" in the title, the audience assumes that she's going to be a little bit stupid although the word "legally" may prove us wrong.
• Other stereotypes we see include: the violent, topless frat boys who cheer at passing girls; more teenage girls getting ready for other events by exercising, applying make-up and overusing hairspray. We also catch a glimpse of Warner ( Elle's boyfriend ) who Elle might be going out on a date with, which would explain the good luck card however I still highly doubt all will go to plan.
• Se7en seems to revolve around Detective Somerset, a very thorough and somewhat strict, old man who lives his life in a slow, methodical way. For example, we see him align his possessions neatly and picks them up in a specific order. He asks seemingly pointless questions because he wants to know everything there is to know although I feel as though this is because he firmly believes in true justice. The fact that he falls asleep to a metronome makes him seem even more precise in his life and why I think this is a highly experienced and talented detective.
• Detective Mills is almost the opposite to Somerset. He's young, inexperienced to crimes ( in this area ) and somewhat carefree in what he does e.g. arrive late to the crime scene, chew gum, talk back to Somerset. Although he comes across as rude, I think he does have good intentions, it's just going to take Somerset and Mills a week to see eye to eye.

Shot Types / Camera Techniques / On-Screen Effects

Both of these films use similar techniques and tactics but when combined with the films' content, they create very different effects overall:

• Se7en and Legally Blonde use close - up montage shots. Se7en fades these shots together in a very complicated montage which makes the viewer feel slightly sick to see this distorted film of mutaliated body parts, details being analysed, money being cut up and the same picture being merged with the same picture whilst never revealing who the villain is doing all this because of the close framing. Legally Blonde is much more clear and comprehensible although this montage of a girl getting prepared is broken up with the other narrative ( the card ). We see hair being brushed, nails being painted, legs being shaved in a very simple way as the credits write themselves onto the screen.
• Both of these films' opening sequences use music and titles to help create mood. During Se7en's distorted montage of forensic evidence and more, the viewer gets to hear a distorted soundtrack as well, breaking up, making inunderstandable screeches and noises to make it feel even more uncomfortable to watch. The shaking titles, shaking and moving around the frame further add to the effect. Another way in which this is effective is that the music score and credits and footage syncronise together so that they seem like one experience in distraction. Legally Blonde is again much more basic; "Perfect Day" plays throughout the entire opening sequence ( again with connatations of disaster ) as the pink titles in a hand-drawn typeface wipe into the frame. Although the music doesn't sync up with the video as well in my opinion it does anchor the overall mood of happiness in the footage quite well.
• Legally Blonde and Se7en using lighting and colour to anchor the narrative mood. Legally Blonde is very bright with a lot of high-key natural lighting, this symbolises everybody's joy and happiness with plenty of connatations of good ( as opposed to evil ). Use of the colour pink is used a lot too in this opening sequence, paticularily in Elle's bedroom to help confirm to the viewer that this is a 'chick flick' and that she is a stereotypical, movie, teenage girl. Se7en is very low-key; it can be fairly hard to make out much in this opening sequence, paticularily at the crime scene to symbolise the evil and darkness and unseen fear in this place. Although this isn't a black and white film, the colour saturation is also very low to further anchor the fact that this isn't a paticularily happy or friendly place ( more homicides to come? ).

Test Horror Still Shoot

After our group spent roughly 30 minutes taking over 30 photos, I photographed this:

Description 

• Tilted Frame to create a sense of distortion and make the viewer feel uneasy whilst the knife is more level in the frame to make the villain seem in control. 
• Low Angle to make the viewer feel more powerless and make the villain seem more dominant.
• Mid Close - Up so that the viewer can't see much of the villain (apart from a glove and part of a black jacket) leaving them unsure about who it could be. 
• Low - Key Lighting so that viewer feels insecure and wondering about what is in the darkness. 
• Shaft Of Light On The Blade so that it's clear that it is the focal point and that it is important to the narrative. 
• Black Glove And Jacket for connations of darkness and evil whilst it covers any features which could reveal who the villain is or what they look like. 
• Blood On The Knife suggests that somebody has just been killed and this is the middle of a killing spree. 
• Holding The Knife, Primed To Stab so that the viewer has narrative expectations of somebody being killed. 
• Located In Front Of A Door At The Top Of A Staircase suggests that this is a chase perhaps and / or that the next victim is just behind the door. This is also a fairly familar location so that it frightens the viewer more by making them feel as though they could be invaded in this way.

Achieving The Shot / Effect

To achieve the effect, we went to a small room which could be locked and took several pictures. However, because this room was so dark I decided to open the door to let in some natural light, acting as a key light. Next, I lowered the tripod to less than 50cm to make it a low angle shot. Then, I tilted the tripod's head clockwise to make it a tilted frame. Subsequently, I asked my model to pose so that the knife was tilted clockwise to match the camera so that it would enhance the sense of distortion I mentioned earlier. After, I asked the light director to shine a narrow shaft of light onto the knife to make it stand out a lot more as the focal point of the shot.
 

Successful Points

• The blade is clearly the focus of the shot and stands out a lot more than anything else.
• The tilting of the camera and knife created the sense of distortion I was aiming for.
• It is impossible to see any part of the model apart from their clothes for the uncertainity I wanted.

What I Would Do Differently In Hindsight

• This picture is definetly underexposed so I'd like to take this shot in a lighter room or with an additional light source. 
• I would try to get the knife to be 100% vertical in the frame although that would be quite hard to get perfectly right. 
• I'd also like the background to be a lot further away from the camera so that it's more clear as a door at the top of a staircase.
• I think that the knife could also be slightly closer to the camera to see the details of the blade and blood for an added fear factor.