Bunny and the Bull

Bunny and the Bull is a 2009 British comedy film from writer-director Paul King. The film won the
British Independent Film Award for Best Achievement in Production in 2009.

The opening sequence for this film interested me as the way the titles appear and soundtrack reflect the type of film, characters, and storyline. This is an aspect I have tried to recreate in my own media product with the titles appearing on badges, and on iPods to reflect the main characters interests and personality. Ben Pilston and myself wrote the soundtrack together to get a perfect representation of the genre and begin to introduce a story line.

Here's the opening sequence for Bunny and The Bull...

Wes Anderson

Wes Anderson is one of my favorite directors. With the upcoming release of 'The Grand Budapest Hotel' I decided to have a marathon of all his films. First on the agenda was 'Moonrise Kingdom'.

'Moonrise Kingdom 'is an intelligent and touching comedy that explore love, youth and family set on an island just off the coast of New England in the summer of 1965. Anderson's way of creating quirky, lovable characters is epitomized in this film.

The opening sequence to 'Moonrise Kingdom' is also typical of Anderson. The use of symmetry and yellow tones reflect the melancholy atmosphere of the film.

Another Wes Anderson film I watched was 'The Darjeeling Limited'. This emotional comedy revolves around three brothers reforging family bonds. 

This film also features a soundtrack forwarded by one of my favourite bands of the 60's The Kinks. 

BFI

 On the 5th of February I attended a lecture at the BFI from Mathew Hall regarding youth culture in the media.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The first half of the lecture involved a discussion based around 6 clips from The Wild Ones, Rebel without a cause, Quadrophenia, Easy Rider, Human Traffic, and Kidulthood. We were asked to think about the denotations and connotations of the clip and keeping in mind how an older audience may react differently to the film than an younger.

In the second half we watched 'My Brother, The Devil'- a 2012 British film written and directed by Sally El Hosaini. It has won multiple awards, including at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival and at the 2012 Berlin International Film Festival.

The film follows two Arabic brothers living in east London. 'My Brother, The Devil' explores the issues relating to identity, religion, and sexuality.

After the viewing, the group took part in a Q&A session with Julia Godzinskaya, the producer of 'My Brother, The Devil'. We discussed mainly the making of the film and the response to the film. I discovered how the film crew got around limitations (in particular the effect of the London riots and how they were not allowed to film on the streets with knifes or any fight scenes). Godzinskaya also explained how the audience interpreted the film differently in terms of a positive or negative response to the representation of youth culture, religion and sexuality.

Donnie Darko

 

 

Donnie Darko is a 2001 American science fiction drama film written and directed by Richard Kelly and starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Drew Barrymore, Patrick Swayze.

 

 

In the opening scene an audio bridge of thunderstorm over the text signifies horror generally, possibly connoting the darkness of the film. This thunder sound contrasts the opening shot where no storm is evident – suggesting the strange time shifts of the film.

Camera pans the scenery, establishing setting and with the use of lighting, again a hint at the darkness of the film.

Tense slow music is used as there is a pan on the central protagonist, connoting mystery, as does the onscreen action. With introduction of keyboard (with echo) it signifies a sadness to this character, which is further anchored by the shots panning the scenery.

 As Donnie turns to face the camera and laughs, again signifying the very strange side to this film, we have the film name on screen in a simplistic font The font “explodes” and fades to white before entering the next scene.

It then fades in from white into a shot of Donnie, now established as our central protagonist, riding his bike down the hill, with also the introduction of a different song – “The Killing Moon” by Echo and the Bunnymen – (Bunnymen links to Donnie’s giant rabbit friend Frank). Song links to genre, music and lyrics connote horror movie. The use of this 80’s song also signifies the date that the film is set.

The bike riding in this text has helped my group in filming our bike section. In terms of what works well and what doesn't, this clip has aided our filming (despite the difference in genre).

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BELOW IS THE LINK FOR DONNIE DARKO OPENING SCENE

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                             http://vimeo.com/25661457

BBFC

The British Board of Film Classification is a non-governmental organisation, funded by the film industry and responsible for the national classification and censorship of films within the United Kingdom.

This is the website for the BBFC...

http://www.bbfc.co.uk/

By using the information on the BBFC website Paddy and myself have concluded that our media product would be rated 15. This means we could include...

frequent strong language

strong violence

portrayals of sexual activity

strong verbal references to sex

sexual nudity

brief scenes of sexual violence or verbal references to sexual violence

discriminatory language or behaviour

drug taking

We have decided 15 because we would not want the limitations that come with choosing rated 12 eg. no strong swearing, drug taking or sexual references.

Additionally, the comedy/drama genre is meant to reflect real life. Real people do swear and have sex and take drugs. So in order to make the media product as realistic as possible we have decided that we would include these elements.

However, if the rating was based just on the opening sequence it would be rated a U on the criteria of the BBFC.

Choose Life

Trainspotting is a 1996 British black comedy/drama film directed by Danny Boyle based on the novel of the same name by Irvine Welsh. 

The screenplay follows a group of heroin addicts in a late 1980's economically depressed area of Edinburgh. Beyond drug addiction, other themes in the film are exploration of the urban poverty and squalor in "culturally rich" Edinburgh.

The film has been ranked 10th by the BFI in its list of Top 100 British films of all time. In 2004 the film was voted the best Scottish film of all time in a general public poll.

Trainspotting has one of the most iconic opening scenes in British Film. The fast pace action is matched with the brilliant tune from Iggy Pop creates an engaging, stimulating opening.

The variation of camera shots make it seem like a lot is going on which reflects the nature of the film. Furthermore, the facts the two characters are being chased by policemen presents to the audience immediately the type of characters and hints and some of the key events that happen in the film. Additionally, the car hitting Renton may be seen a metaphor for his 'flirting with death' (heroin addiction).

The film includes so many iconic quotes and moments. The opening scene includes the famous 'choose life' speech. This for me is what makes the opening so memorable. 

Choose life. Choose a job. Choose a career. Choose a family. Choose a fucking big television, Choose washing machines, cars, compact disc players, and electrical tin can openers. Choose good health, low cholesterol and dental insurance. Choose fixed-interest mortgage repayments. Choose a starter home. Choose your friends. Choose leisure wear and matching luggage. Choose a three piece suite on hire purchase in a range of fucking fabrics. Choose DIY and wondering who the fuck you are on a Sunday morning. Choose sitting on that couch watching mind-numbing spirit-crushing game shows, stuffing fucking junk food into your mouth. Choose rotting away at the end of it all, pissing your last in a miserable home, nothing more than an embarrassment to the selfish, fucked-up brats you have spawned to replace yourself. Choose your future. Choose life . . . But why would I want to do a thing like that? I chose not to choose life: I chose something else. And the reasons? There are no reasons. Who needs reasons when you've got heroin?

The School Of Rock Opening Cedits

 

 

 School of Rock is a 2003 American musical comedy film directed by Richard Linklater, written by Mike White, and starring Jack Black.

 

The opening sequence is one of the most memorable in music films.

 

The ways in which the titles appear on screen are creative and different from the normal conventions. The titles are physically embedded into clothing, posters and lighting. This is a technique Paddy and myself are going to use in our opening scene. Also like in The School of Rock, we will have a mixture of physical and editing titles.

 

The main reason we have decided to produce our titles in this way is to reflect the main character-similar to in The School of Rock (these titles reflect the main theme of the film-rock music).

 

We have 7 titles to include in the opening scene. The first is the production company which we will present on the girls t shirt at the very beginning. The second is who the music is by, which we will have come up on an iPod screen. The third is the starring actor, which will appear on the wall as the main character on the bike goes past acting as a wipe. The fourth is editing which will appear on a badge on the back of the boys bag. The fifth is the producer which will be presented on a poster on the boys bedroom wall. The sixth is the director which the boy will type on a typewriter and the seventh is the name of the film (Cemetery Gates) which will also be typed on the type writer.

 

 

 

 

Forest Gump opening scene

 

 

Forest Gump is a 1994 American romantic comedy-drama base on the 1986 novel under the same name. Directed by Robert Zemeckis and starring Tom Hanks, Forest Gump has become one of the most well known films in history.

The storyline depicts several decade of the life of Forest Gump; a simple man with a good heart that has witnessed and sometimes influence some of the biggest historical events of the 20th century. 

The iconic opening scene follows a feather floating through the air. This section presents the initial setting for the film- a fairly busy town in America (you can tell by the yellow taxi and the cars driving on the right side of the road). There are large buildings; very stereotypical southern America architecture. 

The titles come up in a simple font to reflect the character of Forest. This idea of the titles reflecting the central character is an idea we have been influenced by when planning out opening scene. 

The feathers may symbolise Forest's journey the film will present. I associate feather with the words pure, good and simple - traits found in Forest Gump. 

 

Freaks and Geeks

Lately I've become obsessed with 'Freaks and Geeks'. An American teen comedy-drama tv series. The show centres around Lindsey Weir and her younger brother Sam, who both attend the same high school set in the 80's. Lindsey and her friends are labelled 'freaks' and Sam and his friends 'geeks'. 

Freaks and geeks was the starting block for huge actors now such as James Franco, Jason Segal, Seth Rogan, and Busy Phillips. 



The show aired in 1999-2000 on NBC. Although 18 episodes were filmed only 12 were aired. A second series was never an option due to lack of viewing. 

The show later became a cult hit. The series appeared on Time magazine's 2007 "100 Greatest Shows of All Time" list, as well as placing 3rd on their list of the greatest television shows of the 2000s.

The show combines comedy and drama perfectly, presenting the ups and downs of being a teenager. I find the story lines creative and clever, always making me want more when the programme finishes. 

Linking more to my task, the opening credits for freaks and geeks to me is brilliant. Teaming a rocking soundtrack and the always traumatic experience of school photos-it really captures high school (secondary school to us brits) perfectly. 

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'Juno' Opening Sequence

Juno is a 2007 comedy drama directed by Jason Reitman. The film follows the journey of a teenage girls  unwanted pregnancy and the decisions she has to make along the way.

The opening scene uses a mixture of animation, graphics and real life acting to create an effective, memorable two and a half minutes.

Teamed with upbeat music, the opening sequence shows the genre (comedy), hints at elements of the rest of the film (characters, props ect) and a clear idea of the location (a small American town).

The titles in the clip have inspired Paddy and myself for our own opening sequence. As Juno walks pst the wall the text comes up. We thought for our sequence we would imclude this as the character on the bike goes past.

Additonally, the use pf graphics is also an element that we may include. The treatment is another element that we've taken on board as it is bright and naturalistic.

The Main Task

The Brief

Create an opening scene of a fiction film. It must be 2 minutes long and include titles and soundtrack.

An opening scene can determine the genre of film and can hint at significant events or aspects of the film.

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo has a very dark opening sequence with hints of what the film may include. For example, the black ink running could symbolise the tattoo and the technology such as the keyboard and wires suggest there are elements of computers in the film. The lighting and colours suggest action genre.



Napoleon dynamite is an example of a very different opening scene. The lighting is bright and the colours used are also. The use of food and other everyday objects suggests a comedy genre.





http://www.artofthetitle.com/title/napoleon-dynamite/ 

500 Days of Summer 'Sid and Nancy' Clip

This is my groups recreation of a clip from '500 Days of Summer'. This task challenged our filming and editing skills. As a group, we worked well to be accurate to the original clip and with each of us covering different elements. Ben mainly focused on pre-production (storyboarding), Elliot on production (filming and directing the shoot) and Me post production (editing).

This is the original clip we recreated.

Preliminary Task

The Brief

To create a clip showing someone open a door, walk into a room, sit down, and have a conversation with someone. Making sure match on action, 180 degree rule and shot-reverse shot is accurate.


This is what my group came up with, enjoy!

Submarine 'under the bridge' clip analysis

This clip is from the Submarine, a 2010 British coming-of-age comedy-drama film adapted from the 2008 novel of the same name by Joe Dunthorne.

The first shot in this clip is an extreme close up of Jordanna, Yasmin Paige. This creates an intense atmosphere and engages the audience well. It then cuts to a panning medium long shot of Oliver, Craig Roberts. Throughout this clip, and rest of the film, the directer, Richard Ayoade, uses a lot of reverse angle shots. This gives the effect of looking at one character to an other through the eyes of each character.

The camera zooms in on both characters, Oliver first. This is very effective in making the audience focus on certain features. In the clip, you are drawn to both of their facial expressions. Jordanna looks confident and in control where as Oliver looks worried and vulnerable, showing the dynamics between the two characters at this point.

Again, the director choses to use a reverse shot during the two characters dialogue, this makes it easier to follow the conversation.

Finally, the high angle shot when Oliver kneels down is effective in showing the power dynamics between Oliver and Jordanna. It puts Oliver in a state of vulnerability and Jordanna in a possition of power.

Camera Test Shots

This is a clip of a variety of camera shots including close up, long shot, medium shot, high angle, low angle and dutch angle.

Enjoy!



Camera Movement

There are six main camera movements in cinematography. Pan, crab track, zoom, ped up and tilt up.

Panning

The camera swivels (in the same base position) to follow a moving subject. A space is left in front of the subject: the pan 'leads' rather than 'trails'. A pan usually begins and ends with a few seconds of still picture to give greater impact. The speed of a pan across a subject creates a particular mood as well as establishing the viewer's relationship with the subject. 'Hosepiping' is continually panning across from one person to another; it looks clumsy.

Crabbing

A term similar to truck which usually means for a handheld camera operator to walk sideways (like a crab). With the advent of stabilised camera mounts it's largely a directors choice whether to say truck or crab.
Tracking

Roughly synonymous with the dolly shot, but often defined more specifically as movement which stays a constant distance from the action, especially side-to-side movement.

Zooming

Technically this isn't a camera move, but a change in the lens focal length with gives the illusion of moving the camera closer or further away.

Pedestal

Moving the camera position vertically with respect to the subject

Tilt

Vertical movement of the camera angle, i.e. pointing the camera up and down (as opposed to moving the whole camera up and down).

Camera Shots

I have recently learnt about the different aspects of film language. In particular camera shots.

Hear are some examples of each camera shot and their purpose.

Extreme Close Up



This short helps intensify the dialogue at this point. Extreme close ups cut everything else out from the shot except the subject the director wants you to look at. T he audience focus' just on her face and in turn what she is saying.


Big Close Up

Again, this helps intensify the shot. Big Close ups often include all of the face and some shoulder. This still pulls your attention to the subject.

Close Up

Close ups are very effective in presenting a character. They can often incorporate props and slight background. In this example, this shot compliments the directors goal of drawing your eye to the spoon and her eyes.

Medium close up

Medium close ups show the face more clearly, without getting uncomfortably close. This shot often includes full head and shoulders and again is very effective in presenting a character for the first time.

Medium shot

It is mainly used for a scene when it is desirable to see the subjects' facial expressions in the context of their body language. As well as being a comfortable, emotionally neutral shot, the mid shot allows room for hand gestures and a bit of movement

Medium Long shot

This frames the whole subject from the knees up and shows the subject in relation to the surroundings. Also known as plan américain. This example is very effective as the background compliments the subject very well and creates a mystical atmosphere.


Long shot

Long shots typically shows the entire object or human figure and is usually intended to place it in some relation to its surroundings. This shot may show the viewers the building where the action will take place.

Extreme Long Shot













An extreme long shot contains a large amount of landscape. It is often used at the beginning of a scene or a film to establish general location. This is also known as an establishing shot. The subject is small in the overall image

High Angle Shot












A high angle shot is when the camera angle is located above the eye line. With this type of angle, the camera looks down on the subject and the point of focus often get "swallowed up" by the setting. High angle shots also make the figure or object seem vulnerable or powerless.

Low angle shot













A low angle shot does the opposite. It makes the subject took powerful and in control. The camera is positioned anywhere below the eye line, looking up. This creates this effect.

Birds eye view












The scene is shown from directly above. This is a completely different and somewhat unnatural point of view which can be used for dramatic effect or for showing a different spatial perspective.
In drama it can be used to show the positions and motions of different characters and objects, enabling the viewer to see things the characters can't.

Dutch Angle













This camera shot where the camera is tilted off to one side so that the shot is composed with vertical lines at an angle to the side of the frame often used to portray the psychological uneasiness or tension in the subject being filmed. A Dutch angle differs from a high-angle shot and low-angle shot in that those refer to placement of the camera in height relative to the subject.

Eye level shot













A fairly neutral shot; the camera is positioned as though it is a human actually observing a scene, so that eg actors' heads are on a level with the focus. The camera will be placed approximately five to six feet from the ground.

Reverse angle shot





























This shot views the action from the opposite side of the previous shot, as during a conversation between two actors, giving the effect of looking from one actor to the other.

Analysis of the Car Park Scene in 'Get Carter'(1971)

Today in the lesson we watched a clip of Mike Hodges' 1971 film 'Get Carter'.
 

The exercise was to take on board the film language used to show character, relationships, location, genre and narrative. I found most striking how characters are presented and what the audience could infer from this.

Firstly Jack, Micheal Caine, looks into the camera lens in a menacing way- straight away suggesting he is going to cause trouble.

 The second frame shows three men. All in suits situated in a warehouse; suggesting they may be business men (This idea is supported by the use of location. Large concrete building in an urban area.). In this frame it is clear that Cliff, Bryan Mosley, is a main character because of a few factors.

• He is wearing a different coloured suit to the others, implying a different power to the other two men.
• He is closer to the camera and more in shot than the others. Showing he is of importance and the director wants you to pay attention to him. In terms of the 'rule of thirds' Mosley is situated perfectly to get your attention from the start.