North by NorthWest Sequence Analysis, FTVNM Essay Task, T1

To assist me with my  FTVNM Critical Genre Essay Task I completed the templates for each of my sequences.

The second one was for North by NorthWest. I researched information about the director, as well as analysed critical techniques that they have used within the sequence.

This template was extremely helpful when I began writing my essay.

I had left blank the areas in which the technique had not applied to either the sequence or the genre and fun that the other principles were more prominent and important to talk about.

Film Title: North By North West

Director: Alfred Hitchcock

Information about the director

Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock born 13 August 1899, died 29 April 1980 was an English film director and producer. Nicknamed "The Master of Suspense”, because he pioneered many techniques in the suspense and psychological thriller genres. Many of Hitchcock's films have twist endings and thrilling plots featuring depictions of violence, murder, and crime. He directed/produced films such as Rear Window (1954) Vertigo (1958), Psycho (1960), The Birds (1963) including North by Northwest in 1959.

Genre Identification: Identify the film sequence’s major genre and relevant sub-genres

Main genre: Drama/Action Sub-Genre: Thriller/Suspense

Research and identify specific genre conventions relating to these genres

Mise-en-scene:

Style of Acting: enhances and supports the action  Setting/location: need to and must enhance the genre, make the audience feel the suspense and thrill of the movie’s genre. Lighting: can be dark to make it mysterious, therefore making it suspenseful in a way that the audience doesn’t know what is being hidden, or can be over exposed to make the audience feel uncomfortable. Props/costume: anything that makes the mood dramatic in a thrilling or suspenseful manner.

Cinematography:

Framing: can be used to make a person look big or small depending on their importance Camera position: the position of the camera can make the audience feel as if they are either a part of the action or viewing it in a characters perspective. Camera movement: the movement of the camera usually follows the action that is happening, if not it is moved away from the action, making it more mysterious and suspenseful. Speed: a slow speed creates a suspenseful and tense mood, as well as a quick and fast speed creates a thrilling mood. Exposure: underexposure can make a mysterious mood, therefore making it suspenseful in a way that the audience doesn’t know what is being hidden, or can be over exposed to make the audience feel uncomfortable. Perspective: the scene can be shown from the perspective of a victim, an attacker, or a witness of any action event. usually it shows the perspective of the main character. Focus: is usually on the action that is happening, the bad guy is usually hidden or not in focus that leaves the audience in surprise.

Sound and editing:

Sound: the sound effects in dramatic and suspenseful films can be very affective; varying from absolute silence to extremely loud bangs, crashes and explosions. Editing: lots of long edits create suspense and tension. as well as fast edits to create thrill.

Identify the elements of mise-en-scene and describe how they have been used: Genre:
Style of Acting: The main man looks very confused and frustrated as he is waiting for someone. This is used to make the audience feel the same emotions as this is a. He is also standing in the middle of nowhere which explains the frustration of the character.	Props/Costumes: The man is wearing a suit which usually a man in the city wears, except he is in the middle of no where. This makes him look like he is not supposed to be there. The plane at the beginning of the sequence had no importance to the story until the man was left alone and the plane started chasing him and shooting at him, thats when the plane was significant. Both
Lighting: Over exposed - to make the audience feel quite uncomfortable	Setting: it is situated in the middle of a dry crop field. looks lonely and lifeless
Genre specific elements

Identify the elements of cinematography and describe how they have been used:
Framing:	Camera position: At the beginning of the sequence, the camera was looking down at the character, he was also very small in the frame, making him look very insignificant (a nobody)
Focus: Most of the time, the focus is drawn the the character. When cars are going past, the focus is drawn to them because the character’s focus is on getting a ride from one of them. Toward the end of the scene, the focus is drawn to the plane and why it was chasing the main character.	Exposure: The entire scene is overexposed to give a very uncomfortable and frustrating mood
Camera movement:	Speed: At the beginning, the scene carried on quite slowly as there wasn’t very many fast edits or anything interesting happening. Towards the end of the sequence, once the man realises the plane is chasing after him, the speed begins to quicken and this replicates the adrenaline that is rushing through the character.
Perspective:	Genre specific elements:
Identify the elements of editing and sound and describe how they have been used:
Temporal editing: (the passing of time, manipulation of time using flashbacks/flashforwards) the scene doesn’t include any temporal editing. When the man is waiting, the audience waits with him. This is to make the audience feel the same frustration that the character is feeling.	Rhythm:
Graphic relationships:	Visible or invisible editing:
Music: No music had been playing throughout the entire scene until the plane crashes into the truck causing a massive fire. This is so the viewers do not have anything else to focus on other than what is shown to them	Sound FX: Plane’s propeller flying in the air; as the plane became closer and closer to the character and to the camera, the plane’s sound effects got a lot louder which made it very realistic. Bullet shots Dust shuffling Cars driving past; become louder as they became closer, softer as they drifted away.
Dialogue:	Genre specific elements:

Jurassic Park Sequence Analysis, FTVNM Essay Task T1

To assist me with my  FTVNM Critical Genre Essay Task I completed the templates for each of my sequences.

The first one was for Jurassic Park. I researched information about the director, as well as analysed critical techniques that they have used within the sequence.

This template was extremely helpful when I began writing my essay.

I had left blank the areas in which the technique had not applied to either the sequence or the genre and fun that the other principles were more prominent and important to talk about.

Film Title: Jurassic Park

Director: Steven Spielburg

Information about the director

Steven Allan Spielberg (born December 18, 1946) is an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. He is consistently considered as one of the leading pioneers of the New Hollywood era, and is also seen as one of the most popular and influential filmmakers in the history of cinema. In a career spanning more than four decades, Speilburg has made films that have covered many different themes and genres.

Genre Identification: Identify the film sequence’s major genre and relevant sub-genres

Main genre: Thriller/Suspense Sub-Genre: Adventure/Action

Research and identify specific genre conventions relating to these genres

Mise-en-scene:

Style of Acting: enhances and supports the action  Setting/location: need to and must enhance the genre, make the audience feel the suspense and thrill of the movie’s genre. Lighting: can be dark to make it mysterious, therefore making it suspenseful in a way that the audience doesn’t know what is being hidden, or can be over exposed to make the audience feel uncomfortable. Props/costume: anything that makes the mood dramatic in a thrilling or suspenseful manner.

Cinematography:

Framing: can be used to make a person look big or small depending on their importance Camera position: the position of the camera can make the audience feel as if they are either a part of the action or viewing it in a characters perspective. Camera movement: the movement of the camera usually follows the action that is happening, if not it is moved away from the action, making it more mysterious and suspenseful. Speed: a slow speed creates a suspenseful and tense mood, as well as a quick and fast speed creates a thrilling mood. Exposure: underexposure can make a mysterious mood, therefore making it suspenseful in a way that the audience doesn’t know what is being hidden, or can be over exposed to make the audience feel uncomfortable. Perspective: the scene can be shown from the perspective of a victim, an attacker, or a witness of any action event. usually it shows the perspective of the main character. Focus: is usually on the action that is happening, the bad guy is usually hidden or not in focus that leaves the audience in surprise.

Sound and editing:

Sound: the sound effects in dramatic and suspenseful films can be very affective; varying from absolute silence to extremely loud bangs, crashes and explosions. Editing: lots of long edits create suspense and tension. as well as fast edits to create thrill.

Identify the elements of mise-en-scene and describe how they have been used: Genre:
Style of Acting: All of the characters are being hunted by the dinosaur, therefore they were all acting scared and terrified.	Props/Costumes Dinosaur looks very realistic
Lighting: It is dark, enhancing the fact that it is set at night time. An underexposed effect is used throughout the entire scene to create a sense of mystery and fear	Setting: The people are at a very dangerous place, a dinosaur conservation, in raining weather with no power.
Genre specific elements

Identify the elements of cinematography and describe how they have been used:
Framing:	Camera position: when the camera is on the dinosaur, it is looking at it from a low angle to view it from the angle of the characters, also it makes the dinosaur look more powerful and in control.
Focus: Most of the time the focus is on the characters and their fear for the situation they are in, and other times the focus is on the dinosaur.	Exposure: An underexposed effect is used throughout the entire scene to create a sense of mystery and fear
Camera movement:	Speed: At the beginning of the scene, the pace was quite normally paced. Immediately the pace quickened when the dinosaur appeared, and this is
Perspective: The perspective is predominantly from an invisible witnesses view (this is so we can see most of what is happening), sometimes from the characters’ point of view, but very rarely is it from the dinosaurs point of view.	Genre specific elements:
Identify the elements of editing and sound and describe how they have been used:
Temporal editing: (the passing of time, manipulation of time using flashbacks/flashforwards) There is no temporal editing, this is to emphasise the amount/length of time that the people were experiencing the situation in fear/danger	Rhythm:
Graphic relationships:	Visible or invisible editing:
Music: There is no music throughout the entire scene, this is to revert the focus to the action and sound effects of the scene	Sound FX: The sound effects were definitely very appropriate for the scene, as well as realistic. The sound effects included; dinosaur breathing, footsteps and roars, and crashing and screeching of breaking objects. Without these sound effects, the scene wouldn’t look very realistic. For example, if I were to bounce a basketball, I would expect to hear a ‘bouncing’ noise every time it hit the ground. If I didn’t hear that noise, I would know that something was wrong or I had lost my hearing. To hear sound effects during a scene really supports and compliments the action on screen.
Dialogue:	Genre specific elements:

Casino Royale Sequence Evaluation

A few weeks ago in class we watch a short sequence that we were to analyse the different types of shots, frames, lighting techniques, focal points and camera movements and positions.

This worksheet really helped me to identify a lot of the small details of the scene and enhanced my understanding of how different elements of creating it were essential.

Cinematography Evaluation:

Using only visual evidence in the provided sequence respond to the following:

What types of shots are used to convey the intended message in this scene?

different types of shots were used in this scene including; long shots, mid-shots, over-the-shoulder shots, canted, love angle, high angle, wide shot, close-up, birds-eye

How has framing been used to show or hide information to the audience; refer to specific elements and information.

the things within the frame of the camera are the things that the cinematographer had wanted us to see, AND ALSO the things that are NOT in the frame, are things that the cinematographer didn’t want us to see for eg. James Bond hiding in the room in the beginning of the clip. The main character had been surprised when finding him there so the cinematographer made it that the audience was also surprised when seeing him there for the first time. Also in the flashback scenes when James Bond is murdering the other man, the action of that is happening within the frame so that the audience can clearly see what was going on.

Describe how camera position has been used effectively? List some specific shots

During the murder, there was a shot when both the murderer and the victim where in the middle of the frame and ALSO the camera was positioned in a way that you could see them through the mirror as well. There was also close-ups of their faces while the character was killing the other (seeing their facial expressions while the murder is happening.)

What type of camera movement takes place and how does it enhance or detract from the shot?

types of camera movement included were panning and tilting. Panning is ideal for when there is a lot of things, for example on a desk, and the cinematographer wants to capture all of it but not from a distance, so to include all of it, panning across the desk can make sure they get close details of the items and include them all in the one shot. Panning in this scene is used when the man is walking to his office and is scene on the screen walking from left to right and the camera moves to follow him. Tilting movement of a camera in cinematography can help enhance the mood of confusion and a sense of distortion.

Does the cinematographer make specific use of underexposure  or overexposure to convey a message?

throughout most of the scene, the lighting is very underexposed to create a very mysterious and give the audience a feeling that there is something to hide within the darkness. The overexposed scenes are those that are the flashback shots and reveal a previous murder. This is to show every detail of the scene very clearly.

List 5 of the most important shots from your selected scene and describe the following:

Shot 1. Focal point (does it shift or remain constant)

The focal point was both James Bond and the other man fighting it to the death in the public bathroom, he is trying to choke him

Shot type

shot type used is a long shot

Framing/perspective

The only things that are visible within the frame are the characters, the sink, the mirror and the water flowing out of the sink.

Camera position/movement

the camera is moving around unsteadily as if to be anxious yet following the action of the murder

Shot 2. Focal point (does it shift or remain constant)

the victim of the murder is the focal point as he is closer to the camera and james bond is behind him choking hi.

Shot type

it is a low shot from below the men

Framing/perspective

You only see the two men

Camera position/movement

camera is still moving around, shakily, as if anxious, yet following the action

Shot 3. Focal point (does it shift or remain constant)

the focal point is both of the men.

Shot type

medium shot taken from a lower angle

Framing/perspective

perspective is from a low angle. sink, mirror, urinals, paintings and the two men are within the frame, this reminds the audience of the location of the action.

Camera position/movement

lower angle, rickety, shaking and moving around

Shot 4. Focal point (does it shift or remain constant)

the gun

Shot type

close up of the mans hand picking up the gun

Framing/perspective

the mans hand and the gun were within the frame

Camera position/movement

high angle, looking down on the item on the floor

Shot 5. Focal point (does it shift or remain constant)

the two men involved in the murder

Shot type

medium shot taken from a higher angle looking down on the murder

Framing/perspective

the mens backs are scene, and are visible through the mirror

Camera position/movement

taken from a higher angle, rickety and shaking camera movement.

Final Self Evaluation, FTVNM Task, Term 1

As a part of our Teaser Trailer Task, we are asked to fill out a self-evaluation sheet to help us reflect on how we think we successfully (or not) completed our trailer. This helped me think about what I could have done differently, and what sorts of problems I had come across during the production and why they occurred.

Year 11 Film, Television and New Media Teaser Trailer Production – Term 01 Mr. Andrews

Teaser Trailer Task 11.1: Self-reflection and evaluation:

Please answer each question using complete sentences, including as much detail as possible.

Discuss your feelings about the production task: Please explain your responses:

• Did you enjoy creating your Teaser Trailer? Yes, despite the pressure and rush in having to complete it, I thoroughly enjoyed creating it.
• Are you satisfied with the final result? I am very satisfied and quite proud of the time and effort put into the final result.
• Did your Trailer turn out as you had pictured it in your mind? Not exactly. In my mind I had pictured a very professional trailer which I know is too much of an expectation. But the outcome of my trailer still impressed me.
• Would like to change or improve any aspects of your final trailer (storyline, shots, editing etc.)? Not at all, I submitted my hard work.
• If you could start the project again, what would you do differently? Because I couldn’t take a soft box or any lights outside or in the gym, it was very hard to control the lighting. If I were to start the project again I would find or borrow a battery powered light, and this would help me control the lighting in my shots.

As this task focused on mise-en-scene and cinematography, describe: 

• How you used specific elements of mise-en-scene to depict your film’s genre and enhance the narrative?  I used setting/location and props/costume efficiently throughout my trailer. The outside grass area near the beginning of the trailer and the basketball court setting toward the end, gives the audience a glimpse of how my character, Paris, keeps fit and trains in many places including her neighbourhood and at school. Props such as the basketball, lipstick, mascara and high heels, all are a important props that relate closely to the characters’ personality and depicts the genre of my film well.
• How you used specific shot types to convey the storyline without dialogue? At the beginning of my trailer, Paris is shown waking up at 5:00am and immediately is seen running throughout the neighbourhood. This clearly conveys my storyline because Paris wakes up early quite regularly to do so. I also, included various shots of my character playing basketball and this was definitely an important aspect of the storyline as her short-term goal is to win at the state basketball championships.
• Whether the intended genre is depicted clearly, or if this could be improved? Reflecting on this now, I think that my depiction of the genre would be improved as I don’t think the audience would identify it, although I know myself what my genre was.

Reflecting upon your completed task, respond to the following points:

• How did other people respond to your rough-edit? Did you use their feedback to make changes to the film? I definitely took into consideration the points that my classmates have made about my rough edit. I applied the slight changes that they had suggested and it really helped the outcome of my final edit of my trailer.
• Did you plan and prepare effectively? (i.e did you use storyboards, shot lists etc.) My preparations and plans that I made before I started filming were very helpful and effective. My storyboard helped me prepare my shot list and my shot list was extremely helpful during the filming process. The only area where I lacked in preparation was the filming schedule. Looking back, I know now why I had needed it because while I was filming, I had just asked Minnie on the day if she was free that afternoon to do some filming. If I had a schedule, I would have been slightly more prepared and I would know what shots needed to be taken when and where.
• Did production require more or less time than you thought? Why? The production required a little more time than I had thought, for 2 main reasons. Because I hadn’t prepared an organised schedule, and because I was sent home on a day I was going to film as well as Minnie being very ill for the following two days.
• Were there any problems or difficulties during filming and how did this affect your project. (Difficulties may include; shooting, technical, time-management, teamwork, absences or editing etc.);  I wasn’t able to use lights that required a powerpoint in certain shots because there weren’t any electrical power points in those areas (eg. outside and in the school gym). Time management was also an issue including the issues that were mentioned in the previous dot point.
• Discuss whether you undertook adequate and detailed reflection to support your work? (Review your blog and consider how frequently and detailed your posts were) In my honest opinion, I believe that I have successfully updated my blog very frequently, as I have made many posts, and descriptively, as I take a lot of time to describe what is included in the reflection and my understanding of work that we had completed in class. 

Film Essay Questions To Think About

Today in class we listed a bunch of questions that we can think about and answer in order to help us complete our film essay. I know that I will be answering each of these questions and including my answers into my essay.

Questions

Edits

Why did the director use extremely long edits at the start of the sequence? 

What kind of atmosphere was created through the use of extremely long edits?

Setting

How did the setting enhance the film? 

Did the setting clearly establish the genre? 

What was in the shot to help create the genre?

Props

Were the props appropriate for the genre?

Did the use of props enhance/establish the genre?

Lighting

How was the mood portrayed through lighting?

Did lighting changes have an impact on the mood of the scene?

Mise-en-scene

Did the director use mis-en-scene to establish the mood and genre?

Jurassic Park Scene: Notes, Reflections, Questions

In class today we watched an intense scene in Jurassic Park. It was a scene in which John Williams was unable to write music for as he thought the scene was so good that the music would be unnecessary or 'ruin it' in a way.

We answered 3 questions on the pace, tension and sound effects of the entire scene.

How did the director/editor create pace/rhythm and tension within the scene?

The director and editor created pace throughout the scene by using long shots throughout the beginning of the scene (which developed a very suspenseful mood because the audience doesn’t know what is happening) and as the scene went on, the pace became quicker as the shots became shorter while the characters were running away from the dinosaur. This helped create an intense and frightful mood. The dinosaurs footsteps was an element that contributed to the rhythm of the scene. Although it wasn’t constant throughout the entire scene, whenever there wasn’t any dinosaur footsteps, it was painfully quiet, making the audience pay close attention, but when it was, it created a growing suspense. Tension within the scene was created by many different elements such as the actors expressions and actions, [in some parts] the lack of noise, footsteps of the dinosaur, and the underexposed lighting.

How were sound effects used to create tension and atmosphere?

The lack of music in the background contributed to the suspenseful feeling because usually, happy music tells you something good is happening within the scene, and sad/angry/scary music tell you something bad is going to happen. So because there was no music to give a clue on the mood of the scene, it left the audience questioning what could have happened next. Also, the type of acting by the characters and underexposure contributed to the tense and suspenseful atmosphere of the scene. 

Were the sound effects appropriate and realistic for the scene?

Yes, the sound effects were definitely very appropriate for the scene, as well as realistic. The sound effects included; dinosaur breathing, footsteps and roars, and crashing and screeching of breaking objects. Without these sound effects, the scene wouldn’t look very realistic. For example, if I were to bounce a basketball, I would expect to hear a ‘bouncing’ noise every time it hit the ground. If I didn’t hear that noise, I would know that something was wrong or I had lost my hearing. To hear sound effects during a scene really supports and compliments the action on screen.

Finalised Shotlist, FTVNM Task, Term 1

	Shot List
	Production Title:							Shoot Date:
Shot No.	Shot Name	Scene No.	Location	Shot		Movement	Description of Action	Characters	Lighting Notes
				Type	Angle	Type
1	Trophy	1	Trophy shelf in Bedroom	Medium	Low angle looking up on trophies	Slowly panning to the right	The trophy’s are being displayed in her bedroom	Nil	natural bedroom light + soft box lights
2	Alarm	1	Side bed table in Bedroom	Close up	Straight on	Still	The alarm shows the time 4:59 changing to 5:00am and buzzing	Nil	natural bedroom light + soft box lights
3	Waking Up	1	On the bed in Bedroom	Extreme Close Up	Birds-eye angle (looking down)	Still	The characters’ eyes shot open in excitement in reaction to the alarm	Main character	natural bedroom light + soft box lights
4	Running	2	Outdoors with grass and trees	Close up	Straight on	Dollying/rickety  - following the feet while they’re running	Only the feet and shoes will be seen, running	Main character	natural morning sunlight
5	More Running	2	Outdoors with grass and trees	Long shot	Low angle	Panning to the left as they run from right to left	They are running very fast from the right to the left side of the frame	Main character	natural morning sunlight
6	Training	2	Outdoors with exercise equipment	Long shot	Straight on	Still	They are using the exercise equipment/doing step-ups on bench	Main character	natural morning sunlight
7	Transition p1	2	Outdoors	Close up	Low angle on left side of character moving upwards and around to front	Moving around character and zooming into the mouth	Only mouth part of their face is in frame, they are breathing heavily	Main character	natural morning sunlight
8	Transition p2	3	School indoor basket ball court	Close up	Straight on moving to higher angle on right side of character	Moving around character and zooming out from mouth	Only mouth part of their face is in frame, they are breathing heavily	Main character	natural room light + soft box lights (if needed)
9	Basketball	3	School indoor basket ball court	Mid Shot	Straight on	A little bit shaky	B-Ball will be passed between hands of the character	Main character	natural room light + soft box lights (if needed)
10	Lip Bite	3	School indoor basket ball court	Extreme Close Up	Straight on	A little bit shaky	They will bite their lip in concentration as they are about to make a shot	Main character	natural room light + soft box lights (if needed)
11	Dribble	3	School indoor basket ball court	Mid Shot	Straight on	Following hand, legs and ball, a little bit shaky	Dribble the ball and/or bouncing between legs	Main character	natural room light + soft box lights (if needed)
12	3-point-score	3	School indoor basket ball court	Medium Close Up	Low angle looking up	Still	Basketball will go into the hoop in slo-mo	Nil	natural room light + soft box lights (if needed)
13	Bounce	3	School indoor basket ball court	Medium Close Up	Straight on	Still	Basketball will hit the ground a few times	Nil	natural room light + soft box lights (if needed)
14	Locker Rooms	4	School Gym	Long Shot	Straight on	Still	They will walk into the locker rooms, place down bag and basketball	Main character	natural room light + soft box lights (if needed)
15	Bag	4	School Gym	Mid Shot	Straight on	Still	The bag is being hung up	Nil (main characters hand)	natural room light + soft box lights (if needed)
16	Finished with BBall	4	School Gym	Mid Shot	High angle	Still	The Basketball is being put on the bench	Nil (main characters hand)	natural room light + soft box lights (if needed)
17	Finished training	4	School Gym	Mid Shot	Straight on	Still	They will put their running shoes down on the bench	Main character	Softbox
18	High heels	4	School Gym	Mid Shot	Straight on	Still	They will put on their nice high heels	Main character	SoftBox
19	Makeup	4	School Gym	Extreme Close Up	Low angle looking up	Still	They will put lip stick on their lips	Main character	Softbox
20	Eye Makeup	4	School Gym	Extreme Close Up	Low angle looking up	Still	They will put mascara on their eye lashes	Main character	SoftBox
21	Strut	4	Year 8&9 Locker area	Long shot	Straight on	Still	Walking towards the camera, puts basketball in locker, shut locker, walks away	Main character	natural room light + soft box lights (if needed)