Preliminary Sequence Evaluation

For the Preliminary Sequence me and my group filmed and edited called "Feed the Fish", we had to film different shots from a wide range of angles testing our skills of continuous editing while provoking the audience to ask questions and it having enigma when it ends, so the audience is in suspense of what will happen next. We used a variety of shots and angles and filmed every shot from at least 3 different angles so we have a range to choose from when we edit it and so it looks as professional as possible and the style of editing would be elegant. We didn't want the clip to have the "Dad with a camcorder" effect, so we used the tripod for some of the shots and didn't only use mid shot. For the first shot we put the camera on the floor. From that shot you could see the girl walking towards it in low angle showing the entire setting behind her such as the rain(weather) and the buildings. There were several shots of her going inside the building using different cuts, so it happens smoothly and continuously. The shots after which were of her going up the stairs showing only her feet which was suspenseful as the audience wouldn't know where she is going, as there is not yet any dialogue. The moment she walks into the door a person leaned against a wall is waiting for her inside and says "Did you feed the fish?" At that point we included a flashback of the moment she "feeds the fish" in black and white to make it look like it happened in the past like a real flashback the character is having. The girl is then pushed on the floor by the person with authority and curls into a ball on the floor indicating that she is physically weaker than the other character. We filmed this at a high angle which emphasises her weakness and the lack of power and authority she has over the other character.

We decided to add some sinister music in the background to make it look ironic and humorous, as in the flashback there was a cardboard fish which was kept inside a box and fed by the main character. The character showed their fear towards the fish by feeding it as quickly as possible after they opened the box, the fish is kept in.

Overall I think that our short film was good, for the time that we had to make it considering we lost our footage and had to reshoot it all in a lesson's time. Some of the cuts weren't as smooth as others but if we had to make it again I would know how to improve it as I received feedback from my teacher and other members of my class.

Annotation of Opening Sequence - Insidious

Annotated version of Insidious opening sequence

Camera Movement

Tracking And Panning Shots
A tracking shot is when the person or object is moving and the camera follows him. It is a good shot because it focuses the audience on a particular action or object, and shows the audience what they have to be looking at during a scene. Here's an example of a tracking shot from Pulp Fiction:



A panning shot a similar as it has the same purpose as a tracking shot - to focus the audiences attention on an object or action but a panning shot could be used to view an environment of speed such as car chases, but is often used to determine a setting by shifting the camera from one side of a room to the other. Here's an example of a pan shot that worked really effectively:


Crane, Aerial and Bird's Eye View Shots
Crane, Aerial and Bird's eye view shots are quite similar, but still different in terms of how they're used an what effect it has on the audience. They are filmed from either planes or helicopters to show a larger setting such as a city, town, village etc. These types of shots are establishing shots. They are made so the audience can see the setting of things the way the people in the movie don't see it, so it could also add suspense. Here is an example of a bird's eye view shot:


Tilt, Cant, Roll Shots
Tilt, Cant and Roll shots are not used as often as the other shots listed, but could be very effective if needed. These shots are when the camera gets tilted to one side to create a certain effect of fear if the camera suddenly tilts to one side or give actors power if taken from a low angle. It could also be a shot to reveal something slowly which builds on the suspense for the audience. If the camera also rolls from one side to the other it could mean confusion such as a person is drunk and we want to see what he feels like. Here's an example of a tilt:


Zoom, Whip Pan and Trombone Shot
These shots are more unusual than the others. Each one could have a lot of different effects. The zoom could either reveal different things or add a dramatic suspense depending on the speed or direction of the zoom. If it is a slow zoom inwards it would add a dramatic effect to the audience and if the zoom is fast and inwards it could be to scare the audience or make the audience feel certain things the character is feeling. The shots can all manipulate the audience to feel different things, but mainly add suspense. Here's an example of a trombone shot:


Handheld and POV Shots
There are numerous effects of having a handheld or POV shot in a movie. Firstly it depends if the shot is a subjective POV which is when we know who's holding the camera and we would have to take the place of that person holding the camera and as an audience pretend we are them or a POV shot which is still handheld but we don't know who's point of view we are viewing it from. There are whole movies that could be examples of this type of shot. It makes the setting in movies seem more realistic and natural such as a documentary and makes people view it in a more believable and realistic way rather than other movies. An example of a movie that uses this type of shot is Project X. The whole movie uses subjective POV shots.

Swede Research

Swede films are usually parodies of blockbusters or any other films made into a short films. Swedes are mainly made for the purpose of entertainment of the audience who has seen the original film and knows the characters, as the swede is made in a jokey way the audience finds the parody humorous. The swedes are usually of thrillers, horrors or drama films and made into comedies. Swedes can be made by fans or the film or to mock the original film. Here is an example of a swede of The Hunger Games.


Swedes are sometimes to take away all the tension in that movies. To make the scenes that everyone thought were serious and built with tension, sound silly and removes all the tension that the original movie has built.

Film Production, Distribution and Exhibition

Production 

Film Production is when a film or video is shot. The person mainly responsible for production of the film is called a Producer. The producer is not the only one who works on the film's production. Common staff are

photographer, script supervisor, picture editor, sound editor, assistant director etc. Each scene that people take every day is taken while another scene is being prepared, so the production part of film-making is quite wild and busy. The assistant director informs everyone that a take is going to be recorded. A camera operator is the one that shoots the scenes while listening to the director's orders. There is quite a lot of teamwork in production and in film-making in general.

Distribution

Distribution is the final stage of film-making. It is when the film is released in cinemas or directly to DVDs, Blu-rays etc or direct download from a provider. Posters and advertisements are being posted at that stage to promote the coming out of the film. In major films the people who made the film or starred in it are asked to participate in promotional tours and interviews to get a wider range of audience and awareness that the movie is officially out. The largest productions may require more than one promotional tour, in order to gather audiences from different countries or cities. Here is an example of the Hunger Games Premiere which is a part of distribution of the film.

Exhibition 

The exhibition of the film is slightly different to Production or Distribution. It is when the film industry gathers an audience to show the film to and provides it for free mainly for research purposes and also provides popcorn and drinks for them. The film industry would give the audience a survey in the end of the film to give their critical analysis of the film and their likes and dislikes and what could be improved. It is for the purpose of knowing what the target audience actually wants to see on the big screen and which ones would even like to see it again and buy it.