Evaluation - Question 7Anna Hester

Why is continuity important?

Continuity is a detailed script or scenario consulted to avoid discrepancies from shot to shot in a film, allowing the various scenes to be shot out of order.Or an uninterrupted flow.

Its very important for media as you are able to set a real visual time frame and flow of actions for the audience to watch. It helps to understand the narrative, types of characters, location, time etc. For example if you wanted to film someone walking through a door and sitting down you would need different shots to show that. Like the subjects back going through the door and then a shot from the other side of them coming out the other side. Whereas if you just had a shot of the going through the door from one side it would be hard to follow as to what happens next.

What's the 180 degree rule ?

The 180 degree is a rule stating that a camera should be placed somewhere inside 180 degrees on a particular side of the invisible line of a shot containing two people filmed in sequence. If the camera crosses the line, confusion results for the film viewers, because it makes it look like the people are switching places as one watches the film. This allows the audience to have a greater sense of location in the scene in terms of what may be off-screen in some shots.

180 Degree Rule : Preliminary

Here you can see clearly how the frame has become blurred and so the camera turns from one point.

We can tell this is 180 because the background is the same but as the camera moves things stay were they are. Giving the audience an idea as to what the location is like.

Here we can see the character has a flow as we 180s of the person. This helps to set a good flow and we understand that the character is moving.

180 Degree Rule : Opening sequence

For our opening we opted out of using the 180 degree rule as we believed it would not suit the genre and effect we were trying to create.And so we would not be able to show our progress of this as its not featured in the opening.

Even though we did not use the 180 degree rule, I still researched into films that did :An example of a director adhering to the 180-degree rule from "His Girl Friday" (1940). These shots are from very different angles, but the axis of action is not broken, allowing the audience to clearly understand the spatial relationship of the characters in the scene.

What's match on action ?

Match on action is an editing technique for continuity editing in which one shot cuts to another shot portraying the action of the subject in the first shot. This creates the impression of a sense of continuity.

Match On Action : Preliminary

You can tell it is the same character throughout, as there's only one person and the features, actions and body language is the same, helping with the continuity.

Here we can see two different locations from either side of the door. This allows the viewer to get a greater sense of location and set a better flow between each.

Match On Action : Opening Sequence

Compared to our preliminary we have advanced, we have used a different point of view, it’s a close up and so makes it seem more intense and detailed.

Instead of having a typical match on action, we decided to have the view of the photographer and a worms eye view of the falling negative as it made it more original. We edited as well as we could

to create a smooth flow between shots, from cutting the negative to it falling.

What's Shot/Reverse Shot ?

Shot reverse shot is a continuity editing technique used in conversations or simply characters looking at each other or objects. A shot showing what the character is supposedly looking at (either a point of view or over the shoulder shot) is followed by a reverse angle shot of the character themselves looking at it, or of the other character looking back at them.

Shot/Reverse : Preliminary

The characters are within different locations but are from different angles helping to identify who is speaking and from the point of view of the other person.Here we can see the communication between each character because the eye level is correct to the previous shot.

The first character has a shot from above making them seem small, whereas the second character is shot from below making them seem bigger and more intimidating.

Shot/Reverse : Opening Sequence

Compared to the preliminary, here we have very basic shots of either person. No effect to make one look more dominant then the other.

We can see each character is opposite to each other from the backdrop and to were they are both looking to.

Rather than having dialogue here we can see that this is set on a photo-shoot, from the camera covering the photographers face and the girl posing in front.

How have we developed on our cinematography ?

Cinematography is the act of capturing photographic images in space through the use of a number of controllable elements. These include the quality of the film, the manipulation of the camera lens, framing, scale and movement.

From looking back at our preliminary we can see a difference compared to the opening. Especially with the camera work, I believe we have developed on this significantly. This is clearly visible through the close up shots were we were able to control the focus of the lens and how steady the angle and movement was.

We have began to understand how different angles, and shots impacts on how you are looking at the moving picture. For example, I high angle shot can belittle something, whereas a low angle shot can create a sense of importance or intimidation. We have also so learned that shots created in original ways can make things seem confusing and mysterious for the viewer. We have used this technique in the opening sequence by having extreme close-ups and upside down frames as this relates well to the thriller genre.

Here's an example from our opening sequence.

How have we developed on our editing ?

Film editing is the art, technique, and practice of assembling shots into a coherent sequence. The job of an editor isn't simply piecing of a film together but assembling in such a manor that it fits the genre, creates the right effect and is the final process of making a film. This can all be seen through special effects, sound, lighting etc.

From our preliminary we have been able to develop our skills on the editing software Final Cut Express which enabled us to create the effects and sequences we wanted to fit our genre and its convections. Whereas as before we had never used such a thing and just used it for the basics of fitting each scene together. But now we have been able to use it for not just putting shots together, but also adding effects such as black and white, different transitions such as the camera flashes towards the end, and also the colouring to each frame which we used to darken on the darkroom scenes to make the location seem more realistic. We also learned how to produce titles which became very effective when showing names and the titles.

Here's an example from our opening sequence.

How have we developed on Mise en scène ?

Mise en scène encompasses the most recognizable attributes of a film – the setting and the actors; it includes costumes and make-up, props, and all the other natural and artificial details that characterize the spaces filmed. The term is borrowed from a French theatrical expression, meaning roughly “put into the scene”. In other words, mise-en-scène describes the stuff in the frame and the way it is shown and arranged.

To begin our preliminary completely lacked mise-en-scène, there was no costumes, props etc. We used what we had at the time. Our actions and dialogue was the only way of knowing what the narrative was, whereas if we knew about mise-en-scène it would have been affective.

But when it came to the production of our opening we took great detail into mise-en-scène, as this is what made our opening possible. The props, characters etc. made a great impact on our opening as they influenced the type of genre, our narrative and the personality of the characters. Without the photography props it would be hard to tell what was going on, especially in the way it was filmed. For example, if it was framed in bright lighting from afar it would not look like that film would come from a thriller genre. But the way we have presented it the genre comes over strong.

Here's an example from our opening sequence.

How have we developed on the use of titles ?

We did not use titles in the preliminary as it was needed, but we did in the opening as it was necessary. As we had not tried out titles in film it became a struggle at first especially with the new software. We are still learning now on how to edit different styles, fonts colours etc. The titles were used to feature the names of the people involved with the opening. For example the directors, actors etc. We also used the titles for the main one, being the most important as it shows the name of the film and the way its lead up to and presented is very important as its sets the theme of the film. In terms of developing on our titles I believe that it is hard to visualise our progress, but compared to other films I believe we are similar. Especially our inspiration Se7en, there titles are similar to ours in how they are presented and laid out.

Here's an example from our opening sequence.

To conclude …

Taking into consideration of our preliminary, new knowledge and the time we had I believe that we have improved tremendously with the effort and hard work that has been put into completing our opening sequence.

To begin, I have learned how, when and why different types of shots and angles are used. This was especially important to understand as it helped us to get the right type of effect we wanted especially with our type of genre.Secondly, we learned about mise en scène. This helped us to select the right props, costumes etc. to set the mood, effect and personality to suit the narrative and storyline.Thirdly, editing was a key aspect to completing the sequence. It allowed us to order the scenes correctly, add special effects and most importantly add the titles.

Overall, I now feel a lot more confident while producing a short film. With all the new knowledge I have I believe that we have presented the opening well to fit its genre and narrative.