Real preliminary task storyboards

These are our second set of storyboards for our preliminary task, as the HD camera broke, and we had to re-film it, meaning a change of location.

Analysis of Preliminary Task

Analysis of Preliminary Task

To show our technical skills in a minor way we had to record a short video that included a:

- match on action
- shot-reverse-shot
- 180 degree rule

We created a 7 frame storyboard for our short video, this enabled us to have a clear set plan for which camera shots we were going to use for each scene, and where we will need to edit sound into the video. We decided that me and John would star in the video, with Mason as camera man.

We set out to record our video with the schools HD camera, it only took us about half an hour to record once we found an empty class room we could use as a set. Unfortunately when we went to upload to footage onto the mac to edit it the HD camera wasn’t working and wouldn’t upload anything, so we had to re-record the material once again. We decided that we would change the location of our video as in our view we could get better material there, but also we had some restraints to where we could record as all of the class rooms were being used, so we decided to record in the toilets. So seems as we changed our location we had to do a new storyboard before we set out to record anything.

After editing out the out-takes we had a final video for our preliminary task, it was only 35 seconds long after editing it all together. The video started with a long shot as the antagonist walked out of a door towards the toilets from behind, and then cut to a long/medium shot looking front on at the antagonist walking to the door, throughout this entire start a piece of non-diegetic music is played, until dialogue starts.

We made our soundtrack on garageband, a programme on the Apple Mac that is used to create music by amateur producers, you don't need to be able to play instruments to create the soundtracks, which was a great advantage as none of our group have musical ability.

Our match on action shot came as the antagonist opened the door to the toilets, we had a shot from one side of the door as he pulled the handle, and then cut to a shot of the other side of the door as the handle went down and the door opened, the diegetic sound of the door opening was amplified. We then used a pan shot as he walks through the toilet towards the protagonist. There was only a few lines of dialogue within the 35 seconds, and they all went fine and didn’t need filming more then once, this is where we used our shot reverse shot between the antagonist and the protagonist. After this exchange of words the antagonist turns around and exits the toilets, as he does so the non-diegetic music starts once again and the picture slowly fades to black.

We edited our footage on final cut express on the Mac's, a piece of footage used even by professionals within the film industrie. With the use of the razor blade tool we could cut out the un-needed footage and delete it, and then fit all of the footage together to achieve continuity editing. With final cut we could also fade the picture down to black using the pen tool creating a gradual slope.

The pen tool was also used when we faded the music down at the end of the video

Our preliminary task was a good way to get a taster of the equipment and software we need to use when making our final piece of AS coursework. It we managed to get all of the specifications within the 35 seconds, so overall it was a success.

Analysis of the opening two minutes of Se7en

Se7en

Seven is a crime based thriller, the film was released in 1995, starring Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman, and directed by David Fincher. We see Brad Pitt play the role of Detective David Mills and Morgan Freeman as Detective Lt. William Somerset, the film follows the two detectives desperate hunt to find a serial killer who justifies his crimes as absolution for the world's ignorance of the Seven Deadly Sins.

The opening 2 minutes of Seven don’t really reveal any of the plot to the film at all, and it remains unknown as to whether the character we see is of any relevance to the film at all. At the start of the sequence we see an open book being turned page by a distorted hand, and then the next shot is of a piece of paper with a picture of some deformed hands flat on a table, some of the fingers are bent in the wrong direction, and broken. As the camera is focusing on this image, a shadow sweeps across it. We then see an unknown characters dirty hands, holding a razor blade cutting skin off of his finger, there is then a very quick shot of a black and white picture of a girl screaming and crying. We then see the hand once again open up this book and starts writing on the pages that seem to be full of his writing, connoting to the audience that it is a journal of some sort. There is then several shots of these hands cutting out images of people in pain or suffering and sticking them into this book, and then we see this mysterious character highlighting lots of words in a newspaper article or a book, the article being scrutinised refers to sexuality and pregnancy. The opening sequence ends with a shot of these hands cutting out a section of a newspaper the word ‘GOD’. The reference to God and the highlighted words hint to the audience that the plot of the film has something to do with religious or moral beliefs.

There is a close up of an open spine of a book as the establishing shot to this sequence, in which we can also see a distorted hand in the background, the distortion of the hand draws the audiences attention to the book rather than the hand. There is then a birds eye view shot over looking the picture of the deformed hands, a shadow runs across the picture as we’re over-looking it, giving an eary feeling to the audience. There is then three quick cuts between shots of different sorts of tools, after which there is an extreme close up of a pair of gritty and dirty hands holding a blade, there is a jump cut cutting to the blade at a different angle in the mans hands, making the character seem a bit on edge and mad. Throughout the 2 minutes there are a few extremely fast cuts to pictures of people in pain, and then back to something else, almost asif there like subliminal messages to the audience, but we are aware that their there. An effect is put on a close up of the hand as it is writing in the journal, to show an elapse in time as we see the hand moving quickly and the tracks of movement staying there, this again makes the audience think this mysterious character is a bit of a loose cannon, a bit of a psycho. As the character is highlighting words in an article two shots of the hand are faded onto one shot together, giving once again an edgy feeling to it. Throughout the opening sequence both fade and jump transitions are used. Fade shots are used to add two different shots together at some points, for example we can see the character writing in the journal, but also developing some photos, both in the same shot. The pace of the transitions in this opening sequence is quite fast, with each shot lasting no longer then 5 seconds max, keeping the jumpy on edge feeling throughout. The non-diegetic music played throughout sounds almost asif it could be from a sci-fi genre, with mechanic noises throughout, but these sharp high pitch noises are used well to create parallel sound between what’s going on on screen and the sound accompanying it. The tempo stays steady throughout but speeds up slightly towards the end.

The credits have been presented to accomponie the music and the images on screen, still giving the audience this strange and mysterious vibe, and they are written in what looks like hand written font, which could be this mysterious mans writing. The font is white on a black background making it stand out, and it vibrates, continuing this strange feeling of the unknown.

The opening sequence to Se7en doesn’t really set out the storyline of the film, however it does leave subtle hints to what it could possibly be, and it does let the audience know what genre the film is going to be. I feel it’s a good first two minutes, as it doesn’t jam a lot into it, it just leaves the audience thinking, which sometimes can have great effect.

Analysis of the opening two minutes of Minority Report

Minority Report

Released in 2002 Minority Report is a Sci-fi thriller directed by Stephen Spielberg, and starring Tom Cruise. The film see’s Tom play a main role as John Anderton who is part of a team of Precrime police officers. As they try and solve a case false information is give from a source and John becomes the suspect, the film see’s John try and prove his innocence.

In the opening sequence of Minority Report we see what looks to be a distorted flashback of a brutal murder, as a woman and a man are brutally killed, then man being stabbed in the back with scissors, and then the woman stabbed with the scissors repeatedly. The setting then goes back to the present ( the year 2054 ) and we see one of the ‘precogs’ which are three mutated humans that can see into the future. We then see John Anderton walk through the police headquarters. The audience are automatically introduced to a couple kissing, so are positioned to like them from the start making them the protagonists. The audience are positioned to like John as he is made out to be a superior character of high power through the way he is smartly dressed, and greeted by a black character as he walks through the office. The opening sequence reveals that the film is definitely set in the future, through the use of superimpose telling us that the film is taking place in the year 2054, but the set itself also looks futuristic, with alot of glass in the building, and high key lighting mainly.

A close up of the couple kissing is used as an establishing shot, showing their affection for each other, which then fades into a close up of a pair of scissors, which as we later see proves to be the murder weapon of the antagonist. A two shot is used showing the woman being stabbed, which then leads to numerous quick cuts of her husband, somebody drowning in a bath, and finally to a close up of her eye, this merges into the eye of a precog, seamlessly taking the audience to the present and the setting for the film. The rhythm of the editing through the opening sequence changes throughout, with some parts using temporal ellipsis, for instance as the murdered is walking up the stairs, and some scenes using temporal extension, such as when the man is stabbed in the back as he trys to get away. The non-diegetic music within the opening murder sequence has a dark and murky sound to it, created by mostly string instruments and some drums, the tempo shows parallel sound as it changes in order to match the action on screen. The volume crescendo’s as the murderer is walking up the stairs creating tension and suspense for the audience. The diegetic sound of the scissors being used to stab the woman is amplified to add intensity to the scene, other diegetic sounds such as splashing as someone is being drowned are also amplified for the same effect.

The opening sequence to Minority Report clearly sets out the tone and setting of the film, but does so without giving away a huge amount of the plot, but gives enough for the audience to feel the atmosphere intended to be created, and get an insight of what the film is about.

Jake Stout

Preliminary Task

Preliminary Task Story Boards

These storyboards were for our first preliminary task, which we filmed using the schools HD camera, but unfortunately when we went to burn the footage onto the mac's the camera wasn't working, so we had to delete the footage and record a new preliminary task.