This is my animatic story board which has helped me to understand what my film is going to look like when I start filming. I'm quite happy with it and I think that I can now film it successfully. However I need to add inter titles so that it successfully will be the opening two minutes to a film.
I want to look at the music, and decide whether I'm going to have no music change at all and just change the music slightly on the part where the girl opens her eyes and starts to pack her bag. Or whether I'm going to time the music exactly right so that the music change defiantly works. However I can't find any movies where in the opening sequence, the music swaps and changes between cuts, therefore I will look into slowing the music down, and seeing what effect that will create.
This is my preliminary task, where I display match on action, 180 degree rule and shot reverse shot. I haven't followed the 180 degree rule when I use the shot reverse shot between the two people speaking, therefore I would have needed to stay on the left hand side each time so that the audience don't get confused. I used match on action when he opens and shuts the door, showing him changing locations. I used shot reverse shot when the two people speak, changing when they speak so that the audience can see exactly when the people are speaking.
This is my intertitles video, displaying some of the titles that I will be using in the opening two scenes of my film. I will need to add some more inter titles than this as some of the names are repetitive at the moment, therefore I can add intertitles such as:
"universal pictures presents"
"a working title production"
"in association with"
Music composer
Costume design
Directed by
Starring" " " "
Editors
Casting by
I like how the intertitles travel across the screen with the different colours, as I think it gives a professional positive look. Also it draws more attention to the persons name and their role in the production of the film. In my actual film I would like to use titles that interact with the characters and don't take away too much focus from what's happening in the film. Therefore I probably wouldn't use these inter-titles in my film as they take too much attention away from what's happening in the film.
This is my Prezi, showing the props and costumes I want to use or my film. I have done this in the order of the scenes and time period in the film. I have an idea of all of the props I need to get together now in time for the filming. Also it gives me an idea of how my character is going to be presented as well as how my film is going to look, with the props used. I may not be able to get some of the props to look exactly like the pictures, but I can ensure that I will get the props that match the items of the photo's on the Prezi.
An alarm clock goes off at
6am, the girl gets out of bed and puts on her clothes. She goes down stairs and makes herself a coffee.
The girl walks out of the porch, showing the front of the house. Various shots
are shown of the girl walking to school whilst eating breakfast showing she’s
in a rush.
The girl makes her way through school, running up the stairs and fast walking down
the corridor, until some bullies hold a door open for her and then slam it in
her
face, bag falling on the floor and contents of bag flying out across the
floor. The girl picks up all of her books and puts them back in her bag.
The girl sits down and an F grade paper is placed on her desk, this happens
another three times in different classrooms. On the last one, bullies throw
paper at her and she slumps down onto the desk, putting her head on her desk.
The girl walks home in the rain, and then looks sad the whole way and then gets
home, shutting the door.
She empties the dishwasher, pulls with effort to get the washing out from the
washing machine. She hoovers still look sad. Scrubs viciously at the stove.
Then throws the duvet of a bed into the air.
The girl stares into the camera, and pushes herself up so she’s sat on the edge
of her bed, still looking sad and fed up. She then trails her eyes across the
floor and then fixes her eyes on the sports bag. She still shows no emotion.
She pulls all of her clothes out of her draws and immediately puts them into
the sports bag in a rush, looking as if it were a chore.
The girl walks slowly down the stairs, looking over the banister a little bit
to see if anyone is there.
She rummages through a kitchen draw and grabs a purse, opening it, and then slowly
taking out the money, and running her thumb across it.
She walks towards the front door, opens it takes one last look at the house and
then shuts the door quietly, posting her keys through the door.
Girl looking left and right on a busy road, then crosses road, looking
unfocused.
Girl walks down a street looking around at her surroundings looking a bit
happier but still sad.
Girl look happier and have a neutral expression but is no longer sad, walking
in the forest bits of a park, climbing in parts of trees he can’t get past.
Girl drags stick along the floor, with neutral expression on face, but still
taking in surroundings.
Walking down a street, looking agitated as she thinks people are looking at
her.
Waits for bus with no expression. Looking sad out the window of the bus,
huddled up in herself as if to comfort her self. Girl walks quickly off the
bus.
Girl walks down steps looking forwards.
Sat on swing, gently pushing off so it creates a rocking motion. Sad/ no expression,
looking around slowly at her surroundings.
Here are the certificate ages that are put on movies to
ensure that the right audience are watching them, and people can see what
movies they should be viewing.
U stands for universal and is suitable for anyone from the
age of four and upwards. Mild bad language such as "damn" and
"hell" would be used. Characters can be seen cuddling or kissing, any
mild violence can only be shown for a few seconds but the outcome must be
reassuring. Drugs wouldn't even be mentioned, unless it's for an educational
use in which a young audience would understand
PG stands for parental guidance, the appropriate age would
be for children aged eight and up can watch the movie, however even though
children can watch the movie, it can still be aimed at adults. More topical
themes such as bullying and racism can be passed through the movie. Mild bad
language is allowed in the correct context. Violence is allowed but not allowed
to be shown in detail, for example how the action is carried out or what impact
the action has in detail. Only references are allowed to drugs, or again like U
for educational purposes are drugs allowed to shown.
12A movies may be
viewed by children younger than 12 if accompanied by an adult. However, all of
the topics and action in the film are suitable for twelve-year-olds an up.
Therefore, it's up to the adult how the movie will affect the child. Themes or
genres that may affect a 12A audience wouldn't be passed for that age group.
Sex may only be displayed briefly and discreetly. Moderate violence is allowed,
however it's not allowed to show the violence for that long or show too much
blood. Horror movies can be passed at the age of 12, however they can't be
overly disturbing.
Only people at the age of 15 or over are allowed to view the
movie. A lot more is allowed in a 15, such as strong language, strong violence,
portrayals of sexual activity, drug taking and discriminatory language. Drugs
can be shown, but not to promote them in any way. Impact on behaviour in the
film will be considered, and they would keep away from harm that could
influence vulnerable teenagers.
People at the age or over 18 can watch 18 rated movies.
Stronger issues such as frequent bad language, very strong violence, sexual
activity, sexual violence, strong horror, strong blood and gore, discriminatory
language and behaviour can be shown.
Strong frequent language can be shown in any circumstance.
Discriminatory behaviour or language must link to the themes of the film. There
can be detailed violence that can dwell in the pain caused. Horror movies can
be strong and include gore. Drugs may be shown, but not promote drug misuse.
For my film, I would rate it a 15 as it can cover issues of
drugs, and the bad effects of them.
There would be a limited amount of strong language used, to cause impact on certain
situations. Any violence at any situation would not dwell in the pain that it
has caused or on the actual injury itself. My target audience are from the ages
of 15-19, as the issues and topics shown will be suitable for them and will
educate them on it therefore, making the age rating certificate of 15 suitable
for my film. 15 year old's will be engaged to see my film as it covers issues that they may relate to, and it has adventure and drama in it, therefore they would find it entertaining. Also they would expect more from the film because it's rated a 15, therefore they would be more engaged to go and watch it because they know it wouldn't be a light hearted story.
If I were to hire real actors for my film, I would use
Jodie Comer for the main character who is the only character shown properly in the first part of the film. She can look like a teenage girl, and would be suitable for the role of a drama, adventure movie. She has been in My Mad Fat Diary, Justice and Lady Chartterly's Lover. Which are all drama based TV shows, therefore she would be able to go through the movie playing her role in her character.
Also because she has been in programs that target an audience of fifteen plus, the teenagers would want to go and see the film because they know of her, and may be a fan. The fans would spread the word about the film and therefore would engage more people to go and see it from the hype they have created.
These are the types of fonts I want to use for my main title in my film. As you can you see most of them are thin and quite plain. I want them to be like this because it's how a girls writing is imagined to be and the type of font a teenage girl would use. It's simple, therefore the title doesn't draw away too much attention from the camera footage. I don't want the title to be a work of art and amaze people, I just want it to say what the title is and relate to the girl as well. They all look like different types of hand writing, therefore it could represent how it's going to be the journey of the girls life, like a diary.
For the inter titles on screen I would still use thin writing, to match the main title of the film font, so that it keeps in the same theme as the rest of the film. However instead of using the "avenir condensed hand" text- which I would maybe use for the main title- I would use the "hipsterish" font instead as it's a bit thicker, which would be easier to read when in a smaller size.
For my main text I would use either "a little sunshine" or "avenir condensed" as they are simple but also thicker than most of the text that would be used. The font would give the film a simple look, but not look too boring or overwhelming at the same time. They would target the audience of teenagers, because the titles are like handwriting, and it would make the audience think that the movie is going to be some sort of diary which could be quite outgoing. This would appeal to my target audience because they would want to see a film where they see the girl go through her life, so that they can relate and learn from it.
All of these music videos of royalty free music are suggestions for the music I will be using.
The first music video is the music I would be using in scene four and five. I think it would be good to use because it uses piano which is gentle and links to the emotions of the character.
The second music video is a suggestion also for the fourth and fifth scene. It would set the mood of the scenes. However I think the choir voices sound too holy for those scenes. The music is a little too slow pace for the type of music that has been produced. Therefore I don't think I will be using this music.
These music tracks would portray the mood I'm trying to get across to the audience about the girls emotions and how she feels about the situation she is in. I would want the audience to enjoy the film more by the music used, as they may be able to relate to the film more because of the music, therefore creating more of an emotional connection between them and the film.
I also chose a track from this website called Vivacity. I think it would suite my film because its bright and bouncy, suiting the satire tone of my film when the girl is going through a rough time. It would let the audience know that nobody takes her seriously as the music doesn't sound very serious.
I also came across this track which is bouncy and sounds innocent. This would suit my film because it shows how people think that her life is innocent and full of happiness, but in reality she is suffering as shown on screen. I would slow this music down on the second half of the film where she decides to leave home to show that she is showing her true feeling and doing this by taking actions.
This is my shot list of what shots I'm going to use in my film. It adds up to 2 minutes 19 seconds. I will follow this to create my film, and it will give me an idea of how long I should be filming for and if I will have enough footage. I can clearly create the shots that I want to use for my film, and there will be no confusion when coming to film, because everything will be written down on this shot list that I can refer to. By planning out my shots, I was able to think about what I want the shots to mean and how I could create the shots in an interesting way. Therefore this will enable me make my film look more interesting, and I won't be stuck when creating my film.
Here are some film institutes I can use at the beginning of my film. I will choose one that will be suitable to produce my type of film, according to locations, budget and genre as well as audience.
Universal are based in America and is a member of the Motion Picture Association Of America. It's the world's oldest major film studio and was founded in 1912. They have produced films such as JJurassicPark, Terminator, Scott Pilgrim, E.T and Jaws.
Paramount Pictures is in the 'big six film studios of Hollywood' and was founded in 1912 and are based in America. They have produced films such as Titanic, The Godfather, Transformers, Indiana Jones and Star Trek.
Warner Bros are based in America, and produce; film, music and television. They have one of the world's biggest film and television studios. Also, they were founded in 1923. They have produced movies such as Harry Potter, The Great Gatsby, The Hobbit and Orphan.
Working Title Films create British films, and create a lot of different type genre films. They're based in London and are owned by Universal Studios. They produce feature films and some tv programs. Films they have produced include; Hott Fuzz, Bridgit Jones Diary, Johnny English, Nanny McPhee and Wild Child.
I think that I would like to use Working Title Films for the beginning of my film as they create British Films and are located in London, which is great because it's easy to get to. They produce a range of movies, therefore my film would fit into it, and it would create entertainment as well as giving the audience a moral at the end of the film.They create independent and blockbuster films, therefore my film would be more easily recognised as they appeal to a large audience across the globe. Working Title are well known, therefore people will be engaged to see the film, because they always expect a good production from them. They would also be able to create a budget that I would be able to work with on my film, to ensure that I get the right locations and equipment that I need.
This blog was given the score of 18/20 because they made a lot of posts, looking into various things such as researching into their target audience and analysing different films, fonts and soundtracks. This was all very useful to see that they had researched into many things to do with their films. However they would have lost those two marks because they made posts that weren't relevant to their research and planning.
From his blog I have learnt that I can add more pictures to my blog to make it look a lot more presentable, as well as being able to understand the analysis when there are pictures to help. Also I can look into things in a lot more detail, and getting as much information as I can to help me in my research and planning.
This is my location reasearch for the types of locations I will want to be filming at, and what I want the locations to look like. This has helped me develop what places I want to film and how many places I'm going to have to make time for to film at. Also now I can start looking at similar places to these pictures and I can start creating ideas on what the mise en scene is going to look like.
This is a flow chart for the generic conventions of the drama, adventure flow chart. My film mainly follows the plot of this flow chart, and when creating my film and creating my shot list, I will look at this to make sure that all of my shots, get the message across that the girl isn't happy. It follows the generic conventions of a drama film because it has relate-able issues, and the main character goes through a lot of extreme experiences where the audience will sympathise for her, and engage them into wanting to carry on watching the film.
My typical target audience member should be a British lower middle class female hipster between the ages of 15-19. She might not get along with her parents a lot, or doesn't like the area that they are in and one day dream to get their own living space. They should like listening to alternative music, their favourite film should be an unrealistic fantasy film like The Lord Of The Rings. Or they could be completely content with their life, but wonder what a different life would be like. Both target audiences should feed off of drama and be open minded. They would be a good target audience because they have the most disposable income, therefore they will be looking for entertainment and some sort of escapism. The picture above shows my typical target audience member.
This is my generic convention research for drama and adventure films. It has helped me to understand what plot line the whole of my film will need to include. Also I know what to include in my opening two minutes to introduce the genre's of the film clearly. Also the actors will have to portray that my film is a drama and an adventure film. For example on one of my shots the girl is on the bus looking out the window. I want her to look sad but then to start looking exciting, showing that she is happy to be going somewhere else on a new journey. This would portray the adventure and drama aspects of the film, to show the shift in mood for the film.
In my film I would like my target audience to be mainly girls, between the ages of 15-24, and to be in the class C2-C1. Therefore for my film I would be targeting people with the most disposable income, and also my story would appeal mostly to teenagers because they would find it appealing, as well as being able to relate to some of the topics.
Little miss sunshine:
This is the demographics for the movie "little miss sunshine." As we can see the highest audience band was 15-24 year old's, and more females went to see the movie over men. More lower middle class went to see it than the upper class.
Juno:
Mostly 15-24 year old's went to go see Juno and more women went to see it than men. There are a variety of classes that went to see the movie, but mostly upper middle class went to go see it.
Gone Baby Gone: Mostly 15-24 year old's went to see this movie, therefore we can see that it was aimed at people with a disposable income, an equal amount of genders went to go see it, and mainly the upper middle class went to go see it.
This is the further development of my film ideas including: Two minute treatment: this describes what's going to happen in more detail of the first two minutes. Including certain props I'm going to show- where it will be shot- and what shots I will be using on some parts. Music- This gives me an idea of what sort of music will suit my opening two minutes and how the music will differ between the two different scenes Camera angles/shots- I'm suing this to help for when I start to story board, and how I can interpret different shots in the most interesting way as possible that relates to the characters emotions and how the audience should see it. Inspiration from movies/screen grabs I'm looking at different shots and the way they do things in movies to help my ideas develop, and what I can use in my film to make it work, Costumes This makes me organised and gives me more of an idea of what type of person the character is Film treatment This is the entire plot of the movie, just so that I know what the first two minutes should relate to and where the movie would be going if it was made. Possible inter titles- I have only briefly looked at these and I need to look closer into this so that I have an idea of what to put when editing my movie. Characters- I have looked at the different characters I will need and show to complete the filming of my movie
This is my mood board for my opening two minutes including:
Props- I can prepare by finding props similar to these and it gives me an idea of what sort of props I should be using to suit the situation and the character.
Location- this gives me an idea of what sort of places I can be considering to film in, and I can start to look for places similar.
Shots- this helps me develop and understanding of how things are going to look, and what shots and angles I can use. Overall the mood board helps me create a vision of what I want my film to look like, and what props and locations I can use to create the kind of look I want to give my film. It's going to help me develop a clear idea of all the things I have to take consideration of when creating the mise en scene for my film, to ensure that I create the right feeling and emotions for the film, that represent the girls personality and how she see's everything.
This is my Prezi presentation of my initial ideas, this has helped me to start brainstorming about the type of film I want to make and what the story line will be. I can now start to develop my ideas for a more developed plan of my film. These initial ideas have made me able to start to come up with more ideas of how I want my film to look, and what I want to include in it and what kind of camera angles and shots I will use. I have included what I want to include in the opening two minutes, and what characters I may have in the film to create more of a story and profile of my main character. I have also started to think of music and locations to include in my film, I need ensure that I get these correct so that I can portray my film with the emotions I want the audience to come in contact with whilst watching the opening two minutes of my film.
This is a mind map of a Prezi that will help me to develop my ideas on what I want my film to look like. I have included the type of camera shots and angles I will want to use, to be able to create a snappy film. I have included video links that I can refer back to when planning my film and creating my film, to ensure that I can then use them to create shots similar in my own style. I'm not sure what genre I want my film to be yet, however I will decide soon enough, after I know what the plot of film will be, this brain storm is helping me to think of genre's that I could possibly use, at the moment I'm thinking of either drama, a rom com and adventure. Some of these would be harder to create than others, such as adventure could be hard to film, if it was set in a utopia land, which would impossible to film as a media student with little budget.
I will use this Prezi for my further planning, to make sure that I include some of my original ideas, and I refer back to it to ensure that I am planning in the direction that I wanted to go in.
Match on action
Match on action is an editing technique where it shows two different views of the same action. The editing has to be very precise as if the two shots aren't matched at the right time, it wouldn't work and would look very un-organised.
Here is an example of someone walking through a door, and then we see them come out the other side. It's perfect for linking two environments together whilst following a character.
180 degree rule When taking a shot the 180 degree rule allows the shot to stay on the same side of the action. For example if you had two people sitting across from one another, you should always show them from the same side. If you were to show the two characters from the other side, it would confuse the viewers. Also if you are viewing one character from the right side, you should always shoot them from the right side in that scene. This makes its less confusing for the viewers when the shot alternates between the two characters.
Shot reverse
Shot reverse is when two characters are looking at each other, however on one shot you can only see one of the characters faces, therefore the shot will change to show the other characters face from over the first characters shoulder. This is an easy way of showing both of the characters individually, but also whilst still showing both of the characters in the shot.
How is the genre introduced?
As the super hero attempts to fly down and then smashes into the car, we can tell that it's going to be an action based movie, and then the voice over tells us that it's going to be a comedy.
How are characters represented?
The voice over sounds like a dreamer, but also sounds like he's telling a story, the audience can tell that he may be the main character, as this could be his story.
How is the mood/style introduced?
-The heroic music tells the audience that its going to be about super hero's, then we see a super hero, trying to fly which is unexpected, therefore, we can tell that its going to be a movie where the characters take challenges and try to go against what is normal.
Describe mise en scene?
-We are greeted first of all by flying through the sky, then we see a character who attempts to fly. This shows the links between his dreams and reality.
-Bright sunny location of the city, blue sky- image of a perfect day. Set in New York because of the taxi's and lots of buildings around.
-Bright colours of the costume of the super hero
How is the narrative set up?
-The voice over of the main character tells us that it's going to be his story and by the music also we can tell it's going to be about super heroes. Also it's presented that not all of the movie is going to be serious because of how the character smashes into the car and the watchers all just walk away in disappointed and disgust, and then he goes onto talking about him self and almost making fun out of the character who just died. This suggests its going to be a comedy.
What order are the inter titles?
-Universal-black screen
- Marv - fades into action on screen.
-Marv presents- on screen
-A Marv Films Plan B Production- on screen
-A Film By Matthew Vaughn- on screen
How is sound used?
-Heroic non diegetic music- gets stronger and louder with trumpets-trumpets are powerful
-Voice overs of different people-non diegetic
-Narration of what is presumed to be the main character, telling the audience his dreams and also a -story.
-Heroic music stops once the super hero has smacked into the car, putting emphasis on when he hits the car and how his life is now over as well as his dream.
-The theme tune music fades in, in a stereo like sound, getting louder as the camera tracks round to the number plate of the car.
What camera shots are used and to what effect?
-Extreme long shot of the city to show the location
-Ariel shot, to show us what the hero can see, as well as showing his challenge and the location.
-Long shot of a crowd of people all pointing to the sky, showing how many people are gathering around to see a spectacular thing.
-Low angle from the people point of view to show the man flying down in the air, it also emphasises how far down he is dropping and puts the audience of edge a little bit.
-Point of view shot of what the super hero can see as he's dropping down in the air, puts the audience in his point of view, and can see how much of an adrenaline rush the man must be feeling.
-Mid shot of the peoples reactions- shows how they are just as important as everyone else, where as
when they were in a long shot, they stood more as just humans and individuals who could do anything with there lives. But with a mid shot, all the characters are crowded together and they are all seen as the same type of people again,
-Close up of the number plate saying Kick-Ass, introducing the movies name.
Camera movement?
-Smooth- pans down over city slowly
-Tracks above the characters and smoothly follows him down.
-Tracks towards the car smoothly, but films it at an angle that it makes the audience eager to find out what they're going to see next.
What can you take from this opening and use in your film?
-Id like to use the two different types of music to emphasise the different emotions in the film.
Also I'd like any tracking to be as smooth as it was on the movie,
At the beginning of Hot fuzz we are first introduction with the inter titles. First of all we are introduced with "universal" followed by "working title" these are both on a black screen before we see the actual opening of the film. This has diegetic music playing over the top of police sirens,
leading us into introducing the first character with a long shot. This is a long shot of the character walking up to the camera looking serious. Then we have an extreme close up of his police identity card. This is when we find out his name is Nicholas Angel. Already we have been introduced to his name, then we find out more about his character during the beginning scene using non diegtic sound, which is a narration of him self telling us about his life. From this we instantly know quite a lot about his character, and we can tell that he loves his job and is serious about it from his facial expression and the way he talks
about his job. This is effective because it gives the audience an introduction the character but doesn't tell us much about what the story line is going to include. This also sets up the narrative, automatically we can tell that the movie is going to be from his point of view and it's going to be a story about him. This includes giving us background information in the narrative before the film has properly started.
During this long shot of the character walking up to the camera we have text on the screen, but very minimal amounts of text. There is text such as "in association with studio canal" and "in association with big talk productions." The text is just giving us the big production names, which means it doesn't interrupt the rest of the opening film.
The genre is a mix between action and comedy. We know it involves action because there is action involved such as explosions and running through different scenarios. Also the sequence is really fast moving, which makes it intense, and there are lots of close ups to show detail, but the shots are still
fast moving. Also the camera moves quickly up, down or to the sides to go into the next shot, which suggests that the movie is going to be related with action. Comedy is also introduced into the beginning sequence. Even though the character is really serious about his job, there are a lot of element of comedy involved. For example there is a sarcastic element to everything. Every thing is rather intense, but there is emphasis put on the wrong things to make it funny. The bike riding course is portrayed as really serious as we have close ups of the wheels breaking on the floor, as well as with the car training. The car has been shown on a race track as to be used for a stunt. This makes it funny because the audience know that this isn't what would actually happen in the police force. As Nicholas is so serious about little things in his job and trying to make them seem intense makes the whole scene funny. The mise en scene helped to enhance the action side of the film. Everything was well planned, the locations where right and the equipment around them was proper police equipment. Even when they arrested someone they had a low lighted den for the criminal. There were explosions at some point which made the whole scene a lot more realistic and enforced the genre of action.
There are a number of shots including, long shots, medium shots, eye level shots, high and low angles, close ups and extreme close ups. The amount of different shots and angles is interesting because they swap between them quite a lot, but I think this engages the audience because it makes it exciting and they get to see different shots from different point of view. For example when the eye level shot is used, we can see what it's like from the characters point of view, and it puts you in the action so you can experience the same emotions as the character.
The extreme close ups and close ups focus on piece of detail in particular, and makes the audience
focus on them. These could be key terms in the film and things that you will be seeing a lot or things that you need to remember. Also again it puts the audience right in the action and invades their sense of safety.
The Camera movement creates a big part in creating atmosphere. Where as some camera movement are smooth, others are quite fast,
which makes it short and snappy, which means that they could get a lot of information into such a short period of time. For example the first shot we see is of Nicholas walking towards the camera, and the camera is slowly panning in on him. This creates mystery and suspense , but also everything is calm.
Where as the next shots are fast moving and the camera is panning towards different parts of the screen quickly, making it snappy. Also it blends all of the shots into each other as well. For example there are shots where a transition will be created to go into the next shot where two people will be walking towards each other and they will cross, resulting in the screen going black, and then it will go into the next shot where the two people will carry on walking, and the shot will open up into a different location. This is effective because its a clever and interesting way or going to the next shot and it links everything together. I would like to use something similar in my film, as well as the short snappy shots, so that it moves quickly and it can get into the story quickly.
How is the genre introduced?
-Everything is very calm and showing the setting, the time period and the characters, setting it up to be a drama as we get general knowledge of the situation first, then the little boy dies and this creates a rise in the film, making it a drama.
How are characters represented?
-We are introduced to a sinister mysterious character that we can't see that leaves open a lot of questions and makes the audience think.
-The main girl is sat in the light of the train window, making her stand out from the rest of the people on the train. She's singing, which could be comforting her self which is very childlike. She seems vulnerable because she isn't sat right next to her mother, she leaves a space in-between them.
-She is shown to the left of the frame, and next to her is the window showing how alone she is.
How is the mood/style introduced?
-We can tell that this could be an upsetting film because of the music.
-Everyone on the train looks fed up or ill- people are being forced to be put in situations.
-The style shows everything how it is, for example the people on the train,but also shows everything in a dream state, making the audience question a lot of things.
Describe mise en scene?
-At the beginning its very cloudy and dark which is quite unsettling.
-The white snow then stands out to the audience after being in the dark. The main colours are black and white which contrast against each other, making everything on the screen stand out, and it also suggests that in the era this was set everything was what it is, you couldn't fight against what you had to do.
-On the train it is dark and all the colours are really dull and boring showing little money and depression.
How is the narrative set up?
-We hear everything from the narrators point of view, and we travel along with him and the audience feel as if they are being taken on a journey and have no control over what's going to happen.
What order are the inter titles?
-20th century fox
-Fox 2000 Pictures presents- black screen
-A Sunswept Entertainment production- black screen
How is sound used?
-Soft non diegetic music of a piano- sad music.
-Narration over the top of the music of a soothing but still sinister kind of voice.
-More upbeat music created by string instruments to match the movement of the train.
-Ambient diegetic sound of the train on the tracks moving.
-There's no sound when she realises her brother is in danger, then suspense music is played-non diegetic- creating a feeling of uncertainty and panic.
-Diegetic sound of the mother screaming and the whistle of the train are blended together in one.
What camera shots are used and to what effect?
-Long shot of the clouds-makes the audience focus on the narration and puts them in a dream state like mind.
Ariel shot of the location that's going be shown
- following a train- been taken on a journey.
Mid shot of the main girl, focusing on her facial expressions and when she turns to her mother and brother we can still see her upset body language.
Camera movement?
-Soaring through the sky smoothly, it's quite unsettling and makes the audience feel like their going on a journey.
-Camera moves around the train showing both sides, and it puts the audience in a perspective that they are looking for something.
-On the train the camera tracks forwards and pans from left to right very slowly as if we are examining the people on the train.
What can you take from this opening and use in your film?
-At one point there is a transition from the smoke into the train, I would like to use a creative transition like this so that the scenes link into each other nicely and create a smooth effect.
