Preliminary

We used the opening to this film to help us with our Final Preliminary.

10th March.

The first Preliminary that we completed consisted of a wide variety of shots- for example high angle to show power, tracking, shot reverse shot of a conversation etc which also met the requirements of the brief- a character crossing a room and having a conversation with another character etc.. We used our own camera to film as we felt the quality would enhance and improve the quality of shots (Nikon D3100). Editing this on Final Cut Express on the Apple Macs proved a challenge for us as we have not had previous experience with these, however we completed our first prelimanary (this will be uploaded on our blog also), and discussed what we had done with out teachers we discovered that it would be more beneficial if we based our preliminary on certain Directors of a Thriller movie, to help us practise and re-inact shots they had used. After dicussing this as a group, we decided to choose 'Lock, Stock and Two smoking Barrels' (1998) Directed by Guy Ritchie as the basis for our secondary preliminary, which would be our Final Preliminary for this project.

We were all particulary fond of this sequence in the opening where it consists of two characters running down stairs, yet as the screenshots I have collected here show screenshot number 1 shows the character hitting into the side and running at 'normal speed', then screenshot number 2 shows how Guy Ritchie 'slows down' this part of the film where the other character hits into him and the suitcase of items fall out and fly into the air. I find this shot fasinating as it is prolonged to hold the audience in suspense, as well as adding more breaks and 'jump cut' almost into the film so we are reminded it is not 'real life' (a bout de souffle technique). This is an idea wanted to take forward into our preliminary, yet felt this would be a compelling sequence if we could add this into our actual opening to a thriller instead. The third screenshot, again shows the sequence at 'normal' speed as the characters run off.  Another section we found interesting was the title - as it used a 'Typewriter' font on a black background, and it used the technique where the typewriter is 'typing' the title on screen while the audience is watching. I feel that this adds a mysterious and unsettling touch to the movie, also the stark black and white contrast immediatley suggests a conflict that is going to arise in this movie. On Final Cut Express we found a tool that enabled us to add this feature, yet we we unsuccessful at 'superimposing' this onto the start of our preliminary. Therefore we are going to complete research (i.e Youtube Tutorials) on how to add this to our actual thriller opening. Finally the MAIN source of insperation we used from Guy Ritchie's film, was SCREENSHOT 6. This consisted of a single tracking shot that followed the characters into the shop. Relating this to our preliminary, we used a single tracking shot following the 'evil' character as she crouched and travelled along the floor.

Screenshot 1- Normal Speed

Screenshot 2- Slow Speed

Screenshot 3- Normal Speed Again

Screenshot 4

Screenshot 5

Screenshot 6 -Tracking Single Take

Tracking shot, single take

This screenshot has been taken from our preliminary as we used the tracking hand-held style camerawork to complete this section of the 'spy' crouching along the floor. We chose to use this low angle which put the audience on the same 'level', yet this, however, is quickly dismissed as it is followed by a very high angle shot- (taking insperation from The Autuer Thoery and Alfred Hitchcocks use of this shot), putting the audience below them, showing this characters dominance in this sequence. The over the shoulder shot we used in our preliminary (Screenshot 8) can also be compared to the opening sequence of this movie and Guy Ritchie includes a selection of over the shoulder shots when the dealer is trying to sell hie products on the street. Overall our preliminary helped us significantly with shots that we can use in our actual thriller, as well as making us familular with Final Cut Express and confident with using the tripod, camera and dialogue.

Screenshot 7- Over the Shoulder Shot

Screenshot 8

Lauren Taylor.