Wednesday, 9 December 2009
Storyboard & Animatic of Sleep Tight
`Genre and Film
Tzvetan Todorov - Narrative Structure
Vladimir Propp - Character Functions
Claude Levi Strauss- Binary Opposites within narrative.
Todorov
The Bulgarian theorist Tsvetan Todorov talked about the idea that stories have a beginning, middle and end. He suggested that this consists of the following cause and effect pattern:
- A state of equilibrium at the outset of the narrative
- A disruption of the equilibrium by some action
- A recognition that there has been a disruption
- An attempt to repair the disruption
- A reinstatement of the equilibrium.
In our production the equilibrium at the start of the narrative is the fact that Libby May is a normal teenage girl in school with her friends, the disruption of the equilibrium is the 'dreams' she experiences, the recognition that there has been a disruption would be the fact that there has been a murder, and she tells her mum about it who refers her to a psychiatrist, which would also be seen as an attempt to repair the disruption as at this stage the audience are not aware of the fact it is in fact Libby carrying out the murders. There is not however a reinstatement of an equilibrium as Sleep Tight does not have a conventional ending.
Propp
Russian born Vladmir Propp isolated the narrative pattern of over 100 Russian Folk tales, he drew up a list of 31 functions to describe narrative transformations and although all texts did not have to include the function, the order in which the functions appeared was in variable.
He described the movement from one function to another as 'Sphere of action'.
Examples of spheres of action or functions include:
- Hero
- Villain
- Donor
- Helper
- Princess
- Dispatcher
Levi Strauss
He suggested that binary oppositions structure our understanding of the world. For example we cannot experience hate if we haven't experienced the feeling of love. It is arguable that one of the functions of narrative is to help reconcile these oppositions to make it easier for us to live with them.
Oppositions in narrative are usually represented by the functions of hero and villain, the hero representing what the film is deeming to be good and the villain representing evil.
The oppositions in narrative in our film trailer production are, sane v insane, dream v reality and good v evil. Sane representing the character of Libby as she perceives herself, and insane as she is not aware of the way in which her dreams are reality, similar to good vs evil, we see the character of Libby as Good to begin with but as we become to realise she is the one who is in fact murdering the victims we then see her as evil.
Friday, 4 December 2009
Plot synopsis of imaginery film 'Sleep Tight'.
A 17 year old girl called Libby is a regular student with a normal life, until she begins to have unusual dreams. One night she has a dream about one of her classmates getting abducted and murdered in a forest she lived close to. She woke up and went to school that day, to find a media storm about the classmate’s death. Obviously she was disturbed by this but kept the frightening dream to herself.
Two weeks passed and Libby’s life returned to normal, until one night she encountered a similar dream about a teacher’s daughter experiencing an excruciating death. Once again, she arrived at school to find her dream had come true; the teacher’s daughter was dead. This time Libby knew it wasn’t a coincidence, she confides in her mother who dismissed the problem, saying it was down to Libby’s grieving. Libby, however was increasingly disturbed by her dreams and had a feeling she was controlling these tragic events. Libby became terrified of sleeping and worried herself to a crazed state of mind, begging her parents to help her. Finally, her parents take her to see a psychiatrist who prescribes her sleeping pills and tells her to stop thinking and reading about the deaths.
However, after begrudgingly taking the sleeping pills, Libby experiences another nightmare. She begins to have a dream about her little sister; a crazed shadow in her dream abducts her from her bedroom and takes her to the same forest she had seen before in her dreams. Her sister screams for help but Libby is asleep and powerless, she dreams about the “abductor” preparing to hang her sister by tying a rope around a tree. In Libby’s distress she falls out of bed and awakes. She runs to the forest, knowing the nightmare was real. As she arrives at the scene, she hears her sister scream and sees her drop with a noose around her neck to her death. Libby blacks out. The film cuts to a scene of Libby in a mental hospital that her parents admitted her to shortly after her sisters death. Libby is now the prime suspect of the murders as she was the only person seen at the death of her sister, and her fingerprints had been found on the rope.
That night, Libby has the most disturbing nightmare yet. She dreams about a stranger inside the mental hospital coming to murder her, in desperation she tries to escape from the hospital. In a panic, Libby sneaks into the staff kitchen and sets fire to the hospital, knowing it was the only way to free her. She runs to the forest by her house, the exact place where the deaths had all happened. There is a noose hanging from a tree. She stares at it for a while, whilst having flash backs from each murder. In the flash backs, she sees herself preparing for and killing the 3 girls. In a mental craze, she ties herself in the noose and finally hangs herself.
Thursday, 3 December 2009
Film Trailer Analysis
Jeepers Creepers Trailer Analysis
After watching the Jeepers Creepers teaser trailer it is clearly a Horror genre. It identifies this to the audience as the music signifies an eerie atmosphere, along with the fact that the trailer makes the audience understand that there is a monster. Also the way the characters are represented as scared and in danger also gives away this fact.The trailer lasts approximately one minute and twenty four seconds, having thirty one shots in total including the titles. A number of different transitions are used throughout the trailer, allot of fade to blacks are used and dissolves creating tension and drama, shots are kept short and run in chronological order to the film.There is no dialogue used in the trailer, diegetic music such as screams and footsteps on gravel are used to add effect, my favourite diegetic sound in the trailer is the heart beat emphasising the fact the characters are scared and anxious as to what is about to happen. Non diegetic sound is also used, eerie music is played to add effect and create atmosphere to the scenes, the male and female characters in the trailer are established as the victims. The monster is represented as a murderer, the audience are not aware of the fact it is a supernatural being which creates a sense of enigma and mystery.Shots of religious connotations such as the church and cross reveals the hiding place of the monster. The audience now know that the monster is clever which makes him more threatening as titles on the screen ' Perfect Place To Hide' shows that he knows that it is somewhere where people would not expect a supernatural being to be, the audience may feel unsetled by the text moving in the titles at this point.The titles in the trailer relate to the monster as an 'it' which is a personification of evil.'Francis Ford Corpola' Title appears on the screen at the point where the equilibrium has been corrupted. The audience knows and trusts the director.The trailer is set out in a linear structure, whereby all of the scenes have been taken from the film chronologically.High angle shots of the female victim emphasises her vulnerability, along with short shots which establishes the setting so the audience are familiar with the setting. Point of view shots are used showing the tunnel in which the make victim falls down, emphisisng the darkness and danger.Mise en scene is created in the trailer effectively throughout, in the first shot a car in the middle of nowhere, creates the theme of isolation, which is supported by the titles, ' In the Middle Of Nowhere'.Codes and Conventions that I have identified in the film and analysed are, the titles, dissolve, fade to black, high angle shot, non diegetic and diegetic sound,etablishing shots, point of view shots.The trailer is successful as a promotional device as it includes all of the best scenes in the film and gives the audience a preview into the climax of the trailer, leaving them intreaged into what happens, making them want to go and watch it.
The Saw trailor lasts approximately one minute fifty eight seconds and includes eighty two shots. It is clear from the trailor that the genre of the film is Horror. It is clear to the audience that this is the case as characters in the trailer ar represented as vulnerable victims, along with the understanding that there is someone or something making those characters in danger. The trailer targets the audience by using quick effective shots to emphisise the fast pace and energy of the film. Dark lighting is used throughout the trailer, this too adding crucial effect to the scenes along with fade to blacks happening after almost everyshot.
At the beginning of the trailer diegetic music in the form of the characters camera flash and his footsteps, along with the male character calling out to 'who is there?' by this time the audience have suspicions as to what is going to happen next. As the male character turns around a non diegetic sound of a computerised laugh is played, an unknown creature jumps in to the screen and a title along with more non diegetic sound is displayed. This creating tension and atmosphere as it is unknown as to what has happened to the male character.
The next shot is a canted low angle shot of lights which gives the sense of confined space, diegetic sound of flickering lights. The next few shots are quick and are reactions of the trapped characters, along with a shot of a television with the jugsaw puppet on, which is a crucial shot as it helps the audience make sense of the scenario.
An unknown character dressed in a cloak but who is limping and not acting in an atal threateneing manner leaves the audience confused as to who it is and whether it is threatening or not.
An over the shoulder shot of a man watching a screen with controls emphisises his power, a subtle zoom in while he is moving his hand shows that this is important and the audience should be aware of this.
Close up shots of newspaper articles with titles such as 'Killer Preacher' indicates to the audience that they are of some importance and leads them to think about them.
A voice over is used throughout the trailer to create a sense of narrative and to reveal key information about the plot to the audience.
Dialogue is also used throughout so the audience know how the characters are feeling and reveals more about the plot.
Titles are used such as, Madman, Voyeur, Physcopath, prophet emphising danger and the lack of control the two male characters are in.
Close up shot of a bullet, accompanied by a voice over shows the audience that they are not only victims to jigsaw they are also victims to themselves as the game is going to test how strong they are mentally.
Mise en scene is constructed in the trailer through the characters costumes and the setting.
The film studio has used this trailer to market its product as it gives an insight into the film, giving the audience a preview as to what the film is about, by selecting the best bits of the film, combining them as to not give the plot away but to intrigue the viewers into wanting to go and watch it.
Ten Codes and Conventions that I have identified in the film that I have analysed are, non diegetic sound, diegetic sounds, over the shoulder shot, fade to blacks, zoom in, close up shots, titles, voice overs, canted low angle shot, reaction shots.
Tuesday, 1 December 2009
Development Of Essential Skills
Skills Development
Throughout the course I have developed my skills considerably. The preliminary tasks have enabled me to build up skills necessary for my main task.
· I know have key understanding of different camera angles and movement and how each one is effective in different ways, for example I now know the importance of high angle shots to emphasise vulnerability of characters and low angle shots to emphasise power of dominance of characters. I now feel confident with the camera and my abilities to create an effective shot.
· I know realise how vital the planning stage is in order for your product to become a success, a well thought out scene should have a storyboard created for it, as you then have a visual aid when it comes to filming, a storyboard is a great device to use when filming as it contains information of what the scene includes and how each shot continues into the next.
· Before starting the practice tasks I was unaware how essential the editing stage is also, I feel that now I have experienced this I am aware that editing is essential in the continuity of a product, even if it is just in a small scene, various cuts of shots are needed in a sequence to make it effective. The way in which the editing stage is carried out has a substantial effect on the finished product and must be done in a very efficient way in order for the product to be able to be a success.