Binary Oppositions and Semiotics

Firstly, Semiotics suggests how a concept or an idea can be portrayed through symbols, motifs and signs. Mofits, for example, can be used throughout a film as a reccuring theme- this can be related to The Coen Brothers work which we studied in class, as they constantly used metaphorical motifs to suggest another hidden meaning within the film- more than just what meets the eye at first. Semiotics are often linked together during a film- this is known as a 'Semiotic Field'- an example of this semiotic field could be Money, relating to Poverty and Wealth- therefore these are the two binary opposits to 'Money'.

Relating this to filming, this technique is often used to bring two ideas toegther using the dramatic different to generally suggest conflict etc. In The Dark Kight , it contains a fantastic, unique sense of Binary Oppisition throughout as the basic form would be 'Good vs Evil', however it seems to dive much deeper into this- it is not just Hero vs Villian, there is many connections between each element in the film. Innocent people can become 'corrupted' and change completley when they are pushed to their obsolute limits- good and evil lives in everyone and it takes certian situations or things to bring it out.

Binary opposition is a fantastic technique which we can keep in mind when filming and writing the script for our thriller. Our thriller will play on the idea that even the best of friends can have their troubles, and certian situations can bring out the worst in people- the classic 'good vs evil' is hidden amoungst our opening that the audience are able to see, yet the characters are less aware- also playing on Dramatic Irony to keep the audience on their toes.

Lauren Taylor.

The Coen Brothers

 



No Country for Old Men, class notes. Psychological thriller.



The Hudsucker Proxy, class notes. Fantasy Thriller.



 



 

Next we focused on the numerous films directed by the Coen Brothers. The vast selection of sub-genres within the thriller genre, such as a fantasy thriller (Hudsucker proxy) allowed us to explore the features of each film and think of various ideas for our thriller clip. In the Psychological thriller, No Country for Old Men, it uses a simple motif of a coin that the 'villain' uses to threaten the innocent victim- Life or Death is placed in the hands of fate, this links to the 'Dark Night' where the joker only allows two options on which boat will survive, and which will not. This seems to keep the audience of their toes, they also start to feel empathy for the character and we are placed in their position. The Coen brothers play 'Willing Suspension of Disbelief' convention where the audience are kept in suspense about what will happen- the tension keeps building, yet this is turned on its head as the innocent victim is saved by fate. The Coen brothers use MOTIFS throughout all of their films, objects are given a meaning and the audience must uncover the secret meaning behind it, they appear often throughout the film which keeps the audience thinking and interested. This idea of motifs is one we can consider for our thriller clip- the psychological thriller 'The Woman in Black' also includes a selection of motifs throughout the film, foreshadowing danger ahead- the feet walking is used to express when the child has been possessed, the audience then immediately know the fate of the character, once this motif has begun, there is no way of stopping it, their fate has already been decided, and the audience begin to empathize with the characters as it uses dramatic irony- the audience are aware of something the characters are not. This makes us want to warn the characters, keeping us intrigued in the content of the film. Therefore when we start to plan our thriller storyboard, we could consider the clever use of motifs in our opening sequence which would stick in the audiences mind throughout. Also in No Country for Old Men, like in many of the Coen Brothers films, it starts with a voice over and establishing shots of the location and setting, however we discussed in our group that we did not feel this would be beneficial for our thriller, as it would be even more mysterious without the voiceover to explain happenings at the start.

Contrasting with the psychological thriller, the Hudsucker Proxy is in the genre of a fantasy thriller. Therefore the setting for this thriller is completely imagined- an alternative reality is created. The shots used, motifs, effects, transitions and characters all need to be carefully selected to relate to the 'Fantasy Thriller' theme, for example humour was added to this film to express how it was situated in an alternative reality. Mr Hudsucker jumps out of a window and the time it takes for him to hit the ground is prolonged- allowing the audience to remember the genre of the film. The work by the Coen Brothers is a very unique, definitive style which will enable us to gain further inspiration for our thriller clip. This research will help significantly when we start to storyboard our ideas.

Lauren Taylor.

Silence of The Lambs...

In class we created a table looking at the opening of the well-know thriller 'Silence of The Lambs' Directed by Jonathan Demme- which included information that allowed us to see other options that are available for the thriller opening we are going to create.

 

Film Company, Distribution etc

·ORION Pictures (released and distributed)

·MGM, Film Company that funded the film- employed the directors, film stars etc...
We will need to think of our own film company to include, these act as inspiration for this.

Opening Credits

·Setting in the woods, misty, title displayed in the corner which allows the audience to locate where this thriller is situated. The font for this was a white typewriter style that we found particularly intruding and a font design we wish to use in our thriller clip. The contrast against the background means that the audience are able to read it, plus it is clear and simple, yet does not look 'boring' and un-interesting.

·'JODIE FOSTER' is large capital letters is displayed first- as she is a well known star, people will be viewing this film due to her appearance, and this is then re-enforced by her name being displayed first. As we are unable to have 'big stars' in our production, the positioning of actors and actresses in the credits is also important to consider- the order is generally- main star, 2nd then 3rd star, followed by the title of the film. As the credits appeared as the film had started, we felt this was a better approach than 'Hitchcock' used in 'The Birds' as you are straight into the action, which is what is required to keep people in our society interested.

Sequence

·The main character is running through a forest- completing an obstacle course- she wears an FBI jumper so we immediately know what job she has and can start brainstorming ideas about what her character may be like- therefore this item of clothing is very important in this opening sequence. In our own thriller clip, the costumes chosen will need to express the individual’s personality, allowing the audience into information that does not necessarily need to be spoken, adding to the mystery of the character as the audience are left to piece together the character.  The female that is running is young, petite, yet this is contrasted against the 'neutral' colours (light grey) that she wears, plus the fact she is sweaty and running through a forest on her own immediately lets us know that she is an independent character- work-orientated and dedicated to what she does. The way the characters appearance explains so much about their personality will need to be considered in our own thriller clip, as I feel this is a more interesting and unique approach than talking about the characters job etc. The audience have to think for themselves, which involves them becoming even more interested in what the film has to offer.

A shot I found particularly engaging was the close up shot of the woman’s face when she is looking at the collage of photos in the office- the camera uses a close up so we are able to engage with her emotions, yet it includes irony as she can see something that we cannot, we then become eager to continue watching as we want to know what it is she has found so disturbing, yet fascinating at the same time. This shot would be a fantastic addition to our thriller opening, for example we may see a reaction shot of someone who has found the girl dead at the party, yet the audience do not know this and are left wondering what may have happened, they are in suspense and would like to continue watching.

Compared to the opening of 'Psycho' and 'The Birds' by Hitchcock, Jonathan Demme uses a traditional setting of the woods and a character running with an immediate introduction to action, (although not as immediate as The Dark Night) ,whereas the other two films  are built up from an ordinary situation- defining Hitchcock’s style of filming.

Lauren Taylor

A Bout de Souffle

The film A Bout De Soufflé- 'Breathless' is a 1960's French Thriller film directed by Jean-Luc Godard- his first feature film. One of the first and most influential films of the French New Wave Movement. At the time, the film attracted much attention for its bold visual style and the innovative editing use of jump cuts. Hand- held camera is also used frequently in the opening of this thriller, this combined perfectly with the use of jump cuts as together, they are able to remind the audience that it is a film, and not real life. In our group we found the use of hand held camera extremely effective- the quirky, uneven style that is produces is one that we would like to include on our 5 minute opening thriller. The style enables the audience to become part of the action during the film, yet it also adds a sense of mystery and confusion- which is what we would like to create, to keep the audience engaged and wanting to continue watching to discover more about the characters and the plot. In this film they also break a convention of filming- as the character looks directly at the camera and engages with the audience. A unique twist which therefore allows the audience to empathize with the character more efficiently, yet as a group we thought that it took away some element of professionalism within the film, and therefore came to the conclusion that we would not want to include this in our opening- to keep it as 'suspense building' as possible. A Bout De Soufflé includes inspiration from a few conventions of 'Film Noir' which includes; the black and white shots adding a sense of mystery and distance between the audience and the characters, plus the city scape juxtaposed against the rural landscape where much of the action takes place. This use of juxtaposition could be considered when we start to choose locations and settings for our thriller opening clip, it keeps the audience on their toes as it flicks from one location to the next. This was present in the film 'Psycho' as the city landscape at the start is then intertwined with the rural landscape where the hotel is set.

Lauren Taylor.

The Birds, Alfred Hitchcock

As a group we decided to study into another thriller by Alfred Hitchcock- 'The Birds' where we created a PowerPoint studying the first opening 5 minutes- therefore we are able to see how we could potentially start our own thriller. We found that from the two films we have studied by Hitchcock, the opening of the film consists of

''Ordinary people in extraordinary situations''

(Hitchcock)- therefore we discussed how we were favourable of this idea, and felt that our own opening should include ordinary people that come to find themselves caught in a very extraordinary situation- a gripping introduction that will keep the audience hooked. However this is not the only approach that can be used for a thriller opening- jumping straight into the action is what the 'Dark Night' opening consists of. The immediate city shot establishes equilibrium within the film, which is then counter balanced by the window smashing- the audience are straight away involved with the action and are intrigued to discover the rest of the 'story'. Yet the opening of 'The Birds' is a long 1 minute 40 seconds worth of credits, which we felt was un-interesting to view as we wanted the film to begin. On the other hand this can be seen as a gripping start as the audience are then forced to sit and wait for the film to begin, anticipating the action that lies ahead.

Lauren Taylor.

Psycho- Alfred Hitchcock

In class we watched the film Psycho which allowed us to look at the work by Alfred Hitchcock- a director who uses a quirky and unique sense of creativity in his films- treating them like artwork, as he is after all an 'Auteur and Creator'. Studying particular shots that Hitchcock uses allows us as a group to think of possible shot types that we can use when we start to storyboard and plan our own thriller. For example the shot when Marion is in the bathroom counting the money, Hitchcock uses a shot where her double identity is shown with the use of a mirror- she tries to deceive Norman at the hotel by signing in with a false name. In relation to our own thriller, a double identity could be a fantastic aspect to focus on as the main character in our thriller, who kills her best friend- does not actually realize she has killed her- the drugs she took created an alternative personality where she was out of character. This shot can therefore be considered, the double identity of the character can be portrayed in numerous other ways also- for example in Barton Fink, the storytelling is actually told through images, sound and motifs- the metaphorical fire at the end expresses Charlie’s anger and 'dual' personality as a 'mad man'. Therefore another idea could be to use a metaphorical image which explains the dual identity of the character.  Hitchcock includes various personal 'stamps' on all of his films to backup his 'auteur' title. The very high angle shot (where Norman carries his mother downstairs) keeps the audience intrigued as we are unable to see the mother in detail- keeping us in suspense of the mystery that unfolds throughout. In our thriller, i feel that this shot could be used near the end of our clip when the 'killing' of the best friend takes place- the camera could pan upwards to a very high angle shot as it blurs and distorts the image- leaving the audience confused yet interested to find out what has happened. Another feature used in Hitchcock's film Psycho is the use of exaggerated lighting effects- (swinging light bulb in the cellar sequence) this idea can be taken and modified for our own thriller, as 'moving lighting' can be included to create tension in certain places (girl washing her hands in the sink, covered in blood) - the rhythm of the swinging bulb can also keep the audience 'fixed' on the thriller and what is about to happen. I also found that the shot at the start of Psycho where Cassidy is staring 'lasciviously at Marion in the office, the audience are encouraged to stare just as hard as her with the use of camera angle and shot-reverse shot. Another brilliant aspect to incorporate or consider for our thriller clip. Hitchcock believed it was the director’s responsibility to trigger the audience’s emotional and psychological response by his definition of 'Pure Film'. A pivotal feature of this would be how Hitchcock emphasises the audience as the voyeur- as we always watch with a curious interest in the behaviours of others. We are outside of the narrative, acting as observers, yet we become directly engaged with the characters and actions- we may even feel empathy towards them. We are aware that it is not actually happening to us; however Hitchcock takes this idea, which he 'pushes to the limit'. Regarding this idea, creating a psychological thriller opening that enables the audience to start engaging with the characters emotions is what we would aim to, and like to achieve. Overall studying this film has been extremely influential and a brilliant starting point with regards to shots and ideas which we can modify and include in our thriller opening.

Lauren Taylor.

Sound (contrapuntal, parallel and sound bridge)

Sound (contrapuntal, parallel and sound bridge)


Contrapuntal sound is where the sounds or music used contrast with the film or movie clip it has been inserted into. Its sound that does not fit in with the events happening. We could use this within our thriller as I think it would create confusion and disorientate the audience into thinking something else, we could use the music to create a twist. Parallel sound matches the action made on screen and can also be called synchronous sound, I think the majority of our thriller will contain this, especially if we choose to use a lot of dialogue. We could also add in scary music that reflects the emotion on screen. The Dark Knight and many other thrillers we watched used parallel sound.  I would like to include a sound bridge within our thriller also; this is sound (music dialogue or narration) running through two shots with a cut. I think it would look professional adding a sound bridge into our thriller and we can use it to help create suspense or bring suspense into the equilibrium (normal situation). http://www.slideshare.net/longroadmedia/glossary-sound-and-music-in-film and http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Documents/short/gramtv.html These linked aided me slightly.


By Jordan Gale 

Propps narrative theory

Propps narrative theory

Vladimir Propp devised a narrative theory that picks apart the characters within cinema and film and the action that gives the sequence. He’s a Russian critic, writing in the 1920’s and who published Morphology of the Folk Tale in 1928. He became increasingly interested in the narrative within folk stories, it’s from this he identified the theory of characters and actions as narrative functions.

The characters narrative -The hero- A character whom is seeking something
The villain- An opposing character whom actively blocks the hero’s quest
The donor- A character in which provides an object with magical proprieties
The dispatcher- The character who sends the hero on their quest with a message
The false hero- They disrupt the hero’s progress and successes by stating false claims
The helper- This character aids the hero
The Princess- A reward for the hero and the object of the villains plot
Her Father- May give a reward to the hero for their efforts

The actions narrative -
PreparationA community/kingdom/family is in an ordered state of being
A member of the community/kingdom/family leaves home
A warning is given to the leaders of the community or a rule is imposed on the hero
The warning is discounted/ the rule is broken
The villain attempts to discover something about the victim of the broken rule
The villain tries to deceive the victim to gain advantage
The victim unwittingly helps the villain

Complication
A state of disorder
The villain harms a member of the community/kingdom/family
One of the members of the community/kingdom/family desires something
The hero is sent to get what is desired
The hero plans action against the villain

Transference
The hero leaves home
The hero is tested or attacked/ he meets the test and is given a magical gift or helper
The hero reacts to the donor
The hero arrives at the place he can fulfil his quest

StruggleThere is a struggle between the hero and the villain
The hero is branded
The villain is overcome
The state of disorder is settled

ReturnThe hero returns
The hero is pursued
The hero escapes or is rescued
The hero arrives home and is not recognised
A false hero claims rewards
A task is set for the hero
The task is accomplished

Recognition
The hero is recognised
The false hero or villain is unmasked
The false hero is punished
The hero attains the reward (princess/ kingdom)

 Relating Props theory to a thriller I have watched ‘In time’ and the characters follow as:

The hero- A character whim is seeking something-Will Salas
The villain- An opposing character whom actively blocks the hero’s quest-Fortis
The donor- A character in which provides an object with magical properties- Henry Hamilton
The dispatcher- The character who sends the hero on their quest with a message-Henry Hamilton
The false hero- They disrupt the hero’s progress and success by stating false claims-Raymond Leon
The helper- This character aids the hero- Maya
The Princess- A reward for the hero and the object of the villains plot-Sylvia Weiss
Her Father-  May give a reward to the hero for their efforts- Mr Weiss

In time is a Sci-fi action thriller, where they have substituted money for time, everyone stops aging at the age of 25 and from this age the clock on their arm begins to tick, they have been engineered to live one year, but by working and stealing, time is gained, their time can also been stolen but once their time is up so is their lives. Not only do their lives depend on time but buying and purchasing also uses their time. In the ghetto Will Salas has little time when aided with a large sum he travels to a different time zone where people are rich and wealthy taking Sylvia Weiss hostage he aims to save the people in ghetto by taking back the time the rich stole. It’s not stealing if it’s already been stolen.

There is a problem with Propps theory though as the characters I have assigned to his theory don’t describe the position entirely. There are many Villains, and I have placed Henry Hamilton twice. Mr Weiss does reward the hero Will Salas but not from his own will. From this we can see Propps theory is flawed and it doesn’t apply to all films but the base and foundations of it can be seen throughout cinema.


Within our thriller we hope to apply Propps theory by having the different characters playing there part. As we are only filming the first 5 minutes, not all the characters will be introduced but we can plan out the whole of the movie as well as the 5 minutes we produce this way it ensures we have thought about the characters and applied a theory to our thriller meeting the codes and conventions. 

http://www.adamranson.plus.com/Propp.htm This link aided me slightly

By Jordan Gale  

Barton Fink (linked with French New Wave Theory and Coen Brothers)

Barton Fink (linked with French New Wave and Coen Brothers)

The Coen brothers- Joel David Coen (born November 29, 1954) and Ethan Jesse Coen (born September 21, 1957) known together professionally as the Coen brothers are American filmmakers. Their films include Blood Simple, Fargo, The Big Lebowski, O Brother, and Where Art Thou?, No Country for Old Men, and True Grit. The brothers write, direct and produce their films jointly, although until recently Joel received sole credit for directing and Ethan for producing. They often alternate top billing for their screenplays while sharing film credits for editor under the alias Roderick Jaynes. My summary-This is a Coen brother’s film. They have produced a film that tells the thriller through motifs and metaphors. At the end of the movie the hotel is on fire and this is a metaphor for Charlie’s heat. He is a very heated character, whom is angry at this point in the film. They have included little soundtrack as its around 128 seconds in half an hour, but sound effects and sound bridges have been added into the film to meet with the codes and conventions of a thriller. We aim to add a sound bridge into our thriller as we think it makes the continuity of the film flow better and it adds in a professional finish. They are setting the film up as a trap as they don’t follow it through and the ending doesn’t really resolve anything. I personally didn’t like this a I like to know the ending of the film so the story makes sense as it seems to me thy Coen brothers couldn’t think of an ending so just finished the film. Overall I think it was a good film and I enjoyed watching the motifs as I found myself trying to work out the mystery and what events would follow, but when ending as it didn’t resolve I was disappointed that I never found out anything. I would have said this doesn’t keep to the French new wave movement as this means a liner storyline with a beginning middle and end and as the ending is not resolved I don’t think the Coen brothers have stuck to the French new wave movement. Within our thriller we hope to stick to the French new wave theory but will be unable to complete the whole movie as we have been set a task of a 5 minute clip. Over view of the film- Barton Fink is a 1991 American film, written, directed, and produced by the Coen brothers. Set in 1941, it stars John Turturro in the title role as a young New York City playwright who is hired to write scripts for a movie studio in Hollywood, and John Goodman as Charlie, the insurance salesman who lives next door at the run-down Hotel Earle. The Coens wrote the screenplay in three weeks while experiencing difficulty during the writing of another film, Miller's crossing. Soon after Miller's Crossing was finished, the Coens began filming Barton Fink, which had its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May 1991. In a rare sweep, Barton Fink won the Palme d'Or prize, as well as awards for Best Director and Best Actor (Turturro). Although it was celebrated almost universally by critics and nominated for three Academy Awards, the movie grossed only $6,000,000 at the box office – two-thirds of its estimated budget. The process of writing and the culture of entertainment production are two prominent themes of Barton Fink. The world of Hollywood is contrasted with that of Broadway, and the film analyzes superficial distinctions between high culture and low culture. Other themes in the film include fascism and World War II; slavery and conditions of labor in creative industries; and how intellectuals relate to "the common man". Because of its diverse elements, Barton Fink has defied efforts at genre classification. It has been variously referred to as a film noir, a horror film, a Künstlerroman, and a 'buddy' film. The surrealistic, abandoned mood of the Hotel Earle was central to the development of the story, and careful deliberation went into its design. There is a sharp contrast between Fink's living quarters and the polished, pristine environs of Hollywood, especially the home of Fink's boss Jack Lipnick. On the wall of Fink's room there hangs a single picture of a woman at the beach; this captures Barton's attention, and the image reappears in the final scene of the film. Although the picture and other elements of the film (including a mysterious box given to Fink by Charlie) appear laden with symbolism, critics disagree over their possible meanings. The Coens have acknowledged some intentional symbolic elements while denying an attempt to communicate some holistic message. The film contains allusions to many real-life people and events, most notably the writers Clifford Odets and William Faulkner. The characters of Barton Fink and W.P. Mayhew are widely seen as fictional representations of these men, but the Coens stress important differences. They have also admitted to parodying film magnates like Louis B. Mayer, but they note that Fink's agonizing tribulations in Hollywood are not meant to reflect their own experiences. Barton Fink was influenced by several earlier works, including the films of Roman Polanski, particularly Repulsion (1965) and The Tenant (1976). Other movies that influenced Barton Fink are Stanley Kubrick's 1980 film The Shining and Sullivan's Travels (1941) by filmmaker Preston Sturges. The Coens' movie also contains a number of literary allusions, to works by William Shakespeare, John Keats and Flannery O'Connor. Several religious overtones also appear, including references to the Book of Daniel in the Old Testament, King Nebuchadnezzar and Bathsheba. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barton_Fink and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coen_brothers 


By Jordan Gale 

La Haine

La Haine
Watching La Haine in class we studied this film greatly and picked out the main features that we could use within our thriller.
A focus pull was used within the movie and this is a camera shot where by the camera is out of focus, into focus to the background .When you start with either foreground or background in focus and then zoom in or out to shift the focus to the secondary object. The depth of the field needs to be significant to allow the zoom to take effect.
The colour of the film is black and white; this has been internally done to give it historical realness. When people see black and white they remember real event that have been televised in black and white like the war and this triggers them to instantly believe it is real.
The film is based on cinema vertie which is a fly on the wall this mean the audience becomes voyeur. Voyeurism is where the audience watches something for their own gratification this could be escapism or enjoyment etc.
The rule of thirds has been used greatly in this film as the directors framing is amazing. The rule of thirds is where the screen is divided into thirds and you have the characters on the lines of the object, I La Haine he does this when they walk through the patrol station, everything is perfectly a lined. When the characters venture further out it is clear that the director has a lined all the buildings to the same height this takes great skill but sets the shot up amazingly so the audience can comfortably watch the film.

La Haine Framing

My Notes

By Jordan Gale 

180 Degree Rule

180 Degree Rule

The 180 degree rule is a basic guildline that states that two characters or other objects in the same scene should always have the same left/right relationship to each other. If the camera passes over the imaginary axis connecting the two subjects, then it will mean it's crossed the line and the media terminology, this would be called 'crossing the line' and it would be called a reverse angle. The 180 degree rule is very important in filmmaking, to ensure that they don’t confuse the audience and make the film as realistic as they can. 

The 180 degree rule is very important in the media production, so we will make sure that we use this rule throughout our thriller production. We could break the rule, however I think it's best to keep to it, to not make the audience confused. We’ll be showing how well we can keep this rule in our preliminary first of all so we can get some practise of how well we can keep to this rule and hopefully not break the rule when we create out thriller.

By Anastazja Stanowska

Rule of thirds

Rule of thirds

The rule of thirds was first written down by John Thomas Smith in 1797. In his book Remarks on Rural Scenery, Smith quotes a 1783 work by Sir Joshua Reynolds, in which Reynolds discusses, in unquantified terms, the balance of dark and light in a painting. Smith then continued with an expansion on the idea, naming it the "Rule of thirds".
It’s a "rule of thumb" or guideline which applies to the process of composing visual images such as paintings, photographs and designs. The guideline proposes that an image should be imagined as divided into nine equal parts by two equally-spaced horizontal lines and two equally-spaced vertical lines, and that important compositional elements should be placed along these lines or their intersections. Proponents of the technique claim that aligning a subject with these points creates more tension, energy and interest in the composition than simply centering the subject would.
The rule of thirds is also very important in the media industry, because they help the directors and filmmakers to focus on the main objects on a particular scene. In our group, we’ll make sure that we focus on the rule of thirds whilst creating our production, so we can show different types of media techniques.

For example in the film 'La Haine' the rule of thirds was used very clearly and effectively. La haine was created in 1995, and it's a French film that was directed and written by Mathieu Kassovitz. It's a black and white film which shows how some French people live; especially those who are younger age and belong to 'gangs/groups'. There are three main best friends who struggle to live in their surroundings in France. The one shot/scene that I’m practically interested in is the scene when the three best friends are walking towards the shop by the petrol station.

By Anastazja Stanowska

Moving image terminology

Moving image terminology

Extreme long shot/wide shot;
This shot is often used at the beginning of a film or sequence and acts as an establishing shot, showing where the action is taking place. This type of shot is especially crucial when there is a dialogue, so when a character talks to another character off-screen, it doesn’t look like the character is talking to no one. This shot usually shows a landscape, and it’s mostly used in scenes of action on a large scale, which shows little detail in the frame.

Long shot;
Long shot is a shot in which a figure can be seen from head to toe, it’s a shot that shows characters in the frame as approximately ‘life’ size. So there is still a huge amount of background shown whilst there is a character or a main subject/object in the shot fully shown from top to bottom.

Mid shot;
Mid shot’s shows the figure from around the waist to the head. In this type of shot, you can easily recognise and individual but you can also see what they are going with their hands. Mid shots are one of the most common shots that are used in filming, because it allows a great deal of flexibility while eliminating much of the useless parts of image, such as characters lower half, which typically has little to do with the scene.

Close up;
This type of shot can sometimes be from chest to head, and it’s a good type of shot to use because it shows the facial expression very clearly. This shot shows very little or no background at all, because the shot concentrates on specific details like the expression on a face of a character or specific detail of mise-en-scene. A Close up shows things such as scenes of a conversation between two people arguing, which makes the audience see that clearer.

Big close up;
Big close up only shows only the head or parts of objects, as this type of shot is only used when expressions are important.

Extreme close up;
This shot is just above the eyebrows to just below the mouth or sometimes even closer, it’s used for the same reason as a close up, however extreme close up shows extra detail on an characters facial expression or an mis-en-scene e.g. a shot of just one cry tearing up.

Two shot;
Two shot usually shows two people standing forwards, sideways or backwards, whilst having a conversation, but not always, sometimes they are both shown to show the relationship between them. These shots are usually shot in mid shot, to ensure that the audience can see the characters clear enough but also their facial expressions.

Bird’s eye view;
This shot is taken from the top, so for example the camera is flying in the air so the audience can see the whole city or the view from below. This is usually used when showing landscape and to set the establishing shot.

Worms eye view;
Worms eye view is similar to bird eye view, however this time the worms eye is taken from the bottom, so the camera is facing the sky upwards. This allows the audience to see everything around them. E.g. a man standing in a middle of a city and the camera shots him from a low angle on the floor to show him and the place where he is – the city.

High angle;
High angle is very important, it means that the camera looks up at the subject, often endowing the subject with a sense of power.

Low angle;
This angle is when a camera is looking down on the subject, reversing te effect of the high angle and making it look small or weak.

It's imporant for our group to consider using these camera shots and angles in our thriller production to ensure that we make the start 5 minutes of the movie interesting and engaging for the audiences.

Sources:
- http://library.thinkquest.org/29285/filmmaking/st5.html
- AQA Media Studies AS Book by Julia Burton and Elspeth Stevenson
- http://will-mayne.blogspot.com/2011/02/camera-shots-and-their-meanings.html

Anastazja Stanowska

What is an 'Auteur'?

What is an ‘auteur’?
The google definition of an auteur is; a filmmaker who influences their movies so much that they rank as their author.
In film criticism, auteur theory holds that a director's film reflects the director's personal creative vision, as if they were the primary "auteur" which is a French word for "author". The auteur's creative voice is distinct enough to shine through all kinds of studio interference and through the collective process, in the production as its part of an industrial process.
In law, the film is treated as a work of art, and the auteur, as the creator of the film, is the original copyright holder. Under European Union law, the film director is considered the author or one of the authors of a film, largely as a result of the influence of auteur theory.
Auteur theory has influenced film criticism since 1954, when it was advocated by film director and critic François Truffaut. This method of film analysis was originally associated with the French New Wave and the film critics who wrote for the French film review periodical Cahiers du Cinéma. Auteur theory was developed a few years later in America through the writings of The Village Voice critic Andrew Sarris. Sarris used auteur theory as a way to further the analysis of what defines serious work through the study of respected directors and their films.
The auteur theory was used by the directors of the nouvelle vague (New Wave) movement of French cinema in the 1960s (many of whom were also critics at the Cahiers du Cinéma) as justification for their intensely personal and idiosyncratic films. One of the ironies of the Auteur theory is that, at the very moment Truffaut was writing, the break-up of the Hollywood studio system during the 1950s was ushering in a period of uncertainty and conservatism in American cinema, with the result that fewer of the sort of films Truffaut admired were actually being made.

The "auteur" approach was adopted in English-language film criticism in the 1960s. In the UK, Movie adopted Auteurism, while in the U.S., Andrew Sarris introduced it in the essay, "Notes on the Auteur Theory in 1962". This essay is where the term, "Auteur theory", originated. To be classified as an "auteur", according to Sarris, a director must accomplish technical competence in their technique, personal style in terms of how the movie looks and feels, and interior meaning, although many of Sarris's auterist criteria were left vague. Later in the decade, Sarris published The American Cinema: Directors and Directions, 1929–1968, which quickly became the unofficial bible of auteurism.

Sources
-http://www.google.co.uk/#hl=en&q=auteur&tbs=dfn:1&tbo=u&sa=X&ei=4IlCT4awPKqx0AWU_5WQDw&ved=0CCAQkQ4&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.,cf.osb&fp=6936ee9164fe5349&biw=942&bih=887

- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auteur_theory  

By Anastazja Stanowska