Pulp fiction- Opening scene

The opening to Pulp Fiction shows a perfect example of obeying the 180 degree rule when filming. It also shows a shot reverse shot showing that a conversation is happening and as the 180 degree rule is obeyed the audience wont be confused of who is talking. Another example is a tennis or rugby match where the 180 degree rule is abided by so the audience know which side each teams goal is.

Kill Bill Vol.1 - Opening Scene

Directed by Quentin Tarentino this clip is a opening to a Thriller film, using Thriller conventions and specific ways to draw the viewer in. The first establishing shot is a high angle close up of the brides agonized face showing her serious wounds. The diegetic sounds of her breathing shows you straight away that something frightening is happening and creates a tense atmosphere. You can also here the sound of footsteps in the background creating suspense and showing someone else is entering.
                                                   It cuts to a tracking close up shot of someones shoes signifying an intimidating character. It then cuts back to the brides face showing how petrified she looks when hearing the character approach her. The bride and the footsteps are connected to establish the relationship with the male character and the bride, it also shows the difference in power between the bride and the anonymous shoes.Then the first dialogue in the film is the males voice who says "Do you find me sadistic?" whilst the camera is showing a continual close up on the bride to show her reactions to whats happening. This also makes the audience warm to her as she is the only character they know so far and the male is unknown to them so they would have sympathy for her.
                                                  There is also a shot of the males napkin with his name Bill on it to show what kind of character he is, and that he is clearly quite arrogant. All shot in black and white to add two effects, firstly to create either a flashback effect or give it a creepy feel, or secondly to pay tribute to other older thrillers, for example the Hitchcock classic Psycho which also has Noir lighting. Ending with a horrific cliff hanger of a gun shot this opening scene estabilishes the thriller genre which the director wanted to show the audience.

THE OTHERS- possible case study

This film could be thought of as a supernatural thriller with an old fashioned touch to it as it is set towards the end of the Second World War. Nicole Kidman stars as the lead role in the film playing a very intense character who becomes convinced that her family home is haunted. She is a mother of two who is waiting for her husband to come back from the War, leaving her feeling lonely and showing early signs of depression. Her children are photo-sensitive to light meaning that they are forced to live in darkness. This just makes the massive house they live in more creepy and is ironic as the film is visually dark and mentally dark. Also your left in the dark for most of this film as your never really sure whether there is some kind of supernatural events happening in the house or is it just to give suspense and keep you in anticipation when watching it. The ending will either really surprise you or you may have suspected it all along, but I think how it is revealed is shocking and terrifying making you feel surprised whether you suspected it or not.

BLACK SWAN- possible case study

   

One of my favorite films, A psychological thriller set in New York City, where a very vulnerable character (Natalie Portman) and talented ballet dancer finds herself locked in believing she is turning into 'the black swan'. She has a split personality and has frequent hallucinations as she gets wrapped up in the world of the Black Swan. You see the terrifying journey of her life with twists and turns throughout, you slowly see her develop a mental illness which is very interesting and could be seen to be outraging to watch as some of the scenes are rather disturbing. The main character (Nina) becomes obsessed with her lead role in the Ballet show that she starts to get in touch with her dark side which shows her split personality, beginning to threaten her career as a dancer and her sanity. Winning awards for its cinematography and showing great performances this film is the plot of a good thriller. However you could argue that it is a mix of different genres but the key aspects of a thriller film are included in Black Swan. For example in many scenes in which Nina is alone, you see her fragile mind start to buckle under the pressure of her life as a ballerina.

How has Working Title adapted to changes in the film industry?

How has working title adapted to changes in the film industry?
Working Title, like everything, has adapted to big changes and developments in the film industry. Originally founded by Tim Beven and Sarah Radclyffe in 1984 it continually progressed producing many popular feature films, making a profit of £17.8 million in 2004 alone. Among the company’s many films, Richard Curtis was best known for writing Rom-Coms such as, ‘Love Actually’, ‘Bridget Jones’, ‘Four Weddings And A Funeral’ and ‘Notting Hill’. ‘Love Actually’ is an example of a film which was packaged to appeal to particularly the US market, featuring the popular typical British actor Hugh Grant who sells the film himself as romantic comedies written by Richard Curtis and starring Hugh Grant have provided Working Title Films with a massive profit.  Set in London with many shots of Buckingham Palace appealed to the US market as it a big part of British Culture. Also the mix of British and American actors makes the film appealing to an international audience. 
                                                                The way Working Title packages its films increases DVD sales as popular actors are included in the films which appeals to the audience, also being one of the most successful British companies influences people to want to watch the films as they must be pretty good. Another key feature of Working Title which increases DVD sales is its choice in genre, as it is never controversial and is well liked for the majority audience. Another way the films are packaged for DVD sales is the way in which they are aimed for the international market meaning an increase in DVD sales as the films are global. An example of this is the film Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy; the filming locations are in Hungary, Turkey and England as well meaning that this film is aiming to appeal to the European market by showing different locations. Directed by a Swedish director, financed by France and a great British cast, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is marketed to the European market. It shows that European film makers can now finance big productions independently.
                                                                Whether you prefer to watch films at a cinema or at the comfort of your own home there will always be films available for everyone to see, although many people like to illegally download there films, cinema going is still popular. A current Working Title film which is shown in the local multiplex Vue, is 'Johnny English Reborn' it is a sequel and is an action/comedy with a popular actor added to create the package, Rowan Atkinson. The budget of this film is currently N/A, however an example of another  Working Title film is 'Paul' which has an estimated budget of $40,000,000, showing that the CGI effects in this film increased the budget. This film is an adventure/ comedy with a bit of Sci-fi in it as well, appealing to a wide range of people. As A list actors are also included in this film it some people may watch it to see the actors, Nick Frost and Simon Pegg who are known for being in popular comedies. 'Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang' is another popular Working Title film aimed specifically at children and families with its comedy/fantasy genre. Like a lot of Working Title films it contains well known faces to increase the popularity of it, for example Emma Thompson and Bill Bailey. It has an estimated budget of  $35,000,000 showing that a lot of money went in to this film to make it a success and make the special effects realistic. 
                                                             Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, a British film produced by Working Title was not financed by  Universal, as they were not prepared to take the risk, Studio Canal of France financed this film instead. Reasons for Universal not wanting to finance this new film could be due to the fact that they want a film that they are positive will be popular for a wide audience and will bring in a big profit. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is an ambiguous film meaning it isn't for everyone and isn't a typical Working Title film like Love Actually that a lot of people would go to see. As soon as international production company's got a look at this film and saw it as a success Universe took control and decided to distribute Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy in the UK. The estimated budget for this film is 30 million US dollars showing that being financed by a big production company is vital. 
                                                        A particular Working Title title film which has been packaged to appeal to global markets is the film 'Wild Child', a cast of American actors and British immediately broadens the audience and creates an international market. Financed by Universal this film had a estimated budget of $20,000,000, and was distributed internationally as well as in the UK. Other key features of this film include the Rom-com genre targeted to appeal to all audiences meaning it widens the target market. Showing a stereotypical view of a posh English boarding school, it shows what international viewers would expect to see.
This film reminds me of the film 'Mean Girls' clashed with the English chick flick  'St Trinian's' and filled with cliches, meaning that it adds a taste of what English Rom Coms are like to American ones to widen the audience and appeal to a global market.

Preliminary task

This is the video my group made for the preliminary task, the actors were me and Emily, it was filmed and directed by James and Serena. This short film was edited by me and James using the editing software.

How are new technologies affecting the ways in which we consume films?

New technologies are affecting the way in which we consume film because due to computers we can now watch films online without having to leave our homes to see a new film. Cinema going is still high, however due to the new technology 11.1% of film consumption is by watching films recorded on TV. The rise in percentage on how many people watch films illegally makes it harder to profit from film as less people go to the cinema as they can watch new films from the comfort of their own home. Due to technology the new most popular way of film viewing is on live television as you don’t have to go anywhere to watch it and you can store and record films to watch any time you like. Online streaming has led to a higher percentage of 5.5% of 16-24 year olds who now use it to watch new films, this shows that this age group would rather watch films online as it is free and because they use technology so much very easy to access. However the percentage of 16-24 year olds who go the cinema is also a high percentage as it is a social activity for them.
                                     New technology such as 3D films bring more and more people into the cinema whatever age group they are, this is because it makes film viewing exciting. Also you wouldn’t be able to get the same effects through online streaming meaning the cinema becomes more popular. They have generated £241.8 million in the UK proving how popular and profitable it is. Like all technology cinemas are progressively changing and have done throughout 1999-2010. Multiplex screens have been brought into the UK from 1999 this shows that although new technology has affected the ways in which we consume films there is still a high demand for cinema going as 75.4% of screens in 2010 are multiplex.  
                                      The profitability of the video/DVD market has slowly risen from 1999-2004. This shows that the more technology had advanced the more it was used. From 2004 to 2010 It was uneven meaning that more people are starting to watch films online so therefore they don’t need to buy DVDs. By 2010 the figures dropped dramatically as there was a less demand for renting DVDs as they can be accessed with the new technology in other ways without having to pay. For example films can be accessed via live television, online streaming, recorded television, piracy, or legal downloading. The figures for the total audience for feature films on television has a huge effect on the way we watch film as 4 million people use digital TV to watch films meaning less people will go to the cinema. Film consumption at home is changing because there are now so many different ways of consuming films that it is more possible to stay at home instead of leaving your house to watch a new film.

Evaluation

Planning
In  preparation for the preliminary task our group came up with a script and a storyline of what we would film. Emily and me were the actors, we had a conversation about a job interview which i was about to have, I then realize that I'm late and rush off which ends the scene and is the 'dramatic' moment. We wrote down a shot list so we could make sure to include the key shots to make it look as good as possible and to complete the task correctly. We also made a story board giving us a clear idea of what camera shots we will do and how the scenes will look. We decided to do a linear narrative meaning that it would have a sequential narrative with a beginning, a middle and an end.
                           Planning was useful to us because it meant we didn't miss out on using any particular shots and writing a script before hand meant that we wouldn't forget what to say and keeps everything organized. We changed slightly from our plans as the room we first decided on filming in didn't work out well as there was a lot of background noise so we filmed elsewhere, apart from that, we stuck to our plan. An example of the planning I did is this shot list:

Shot 1: Birds eye view of me sleeping with book over my face cut to
Shot 2: Long shot of me laying on chair sleeping, cut to
Shot 3: Birds eye view of Emily walking down the corridor, cut to
Shot 4: Medium close up of Emily walking through the door and into the room, cut to
Shot 5: Medium close up of me waking up and the book falling off me, cut to me picking up my book then Emily walks in, cut to
Shot 6: A Shot reverse shot of me and Emily having a conversation, cut to
Shot 7: A long shot of the conversation with me and Emily sitting opposite each other.
Shot 8: Extreme close up of me holding a phone, time then changes on the phone, cut to
Shot 9: Me running out of the room then cut to a long shot of me running down the corridor for my job interview. 

Camera skills
The camera skills i have developed and gained knowledge on are most importantly the shot reverse shot which was used to show our conversation which is the main part of the scene. When doing so I learnt about the 180 degree rule and how you can break it, if you do it can confuse the viewers. My confidence with using the cameras has grown as I now know basic techniques when using them and how certain shots portray a particular emotion. The area I most lack confidence in when using the cameras is making sure that I don't break the 180 degree rule as it is so important when filming. However, after practicing I feel I will be able to gain confidence using the cameras and making sure I don't break the 180 degree rule! When shooting our preliminary task continuity was an issue as we filmed on two different days so my clothes were slightly different the second day so I have to make sure I wear the same clothes if it happens again.

Editing skills 
When completing the Preliminary task I had to use the editing software for the first time, my first task was to learn how to transfer and capture the filming we done on the camera onto the computer. Once on the editing program I found out how to cut particular parts of the video that we didn't want by using the 'in and out' buttons to choose the exact parts of the filming we want and to cut out the bits we didn't want. I then was able to transfer what we wanted onto the time line to create the best clip possible. I'm still not overly confident with editing after practice and learning which buttons do which thing I'll be able to edit without panicking too much!