TASK 5 - OPENING TO 'PSYCHO'

Psycho is an Alfred Hitchcock film of the psychological thriller sub genre and is about an affair that goes terribly wrong. Themes include money, crime, corruptibility and voyeurism.

This close up shot of the woman (with her in the centre - rule of thirds) creates an element of suspense, mainly due to her worried facial expression. This would make the audience question why (she is nervous) and where she is going, as there are no clues to this other than her expression and no speech. The blurred background adds to this, making it even unclearer as to where she is going and why, the only thing the audience know is that she is feeling very uneasy and vunerable. The audience at this point are concentrating solely on her due to the framing of the shot, even the car behind seems to centralise her as a focal point.

Hitchcock uses pathetic fallacy as an omen, and as a device to panic the audience. The heavy rain outside blocks Marion's view, and the headlights from the cars leave her disorientated, making the scene even more tense. By doing this, Hitchcock is inferring that as a woman, she should not be alone as she is too fragile, and in danger. This is a common convention of such thrillers, and Hitchcock said himself that characters like Marion make better victims, more than likely meaning they can easily be perceived by the audience as vunerable, and in this scene the viewer is also left wondering whether she is a menacing(direct connection to the large sum of money she is carrying) antagonist or the fragile, feminine protagonist that just happens to be caught up in something dangerous.

The framing of this shot contributes to the understanding of her character, with part of the shot being taken up by a diagetic light from a car, and the other being absorbed by darkness, perhaps signalling some ambiguity in her personality or activity. 

Hitchcock uses other cinematographic devices to create suspense, for example in the opening scene when Marion is in her flat (with the packet of money on her bed) the camera zooms in on the money, focusing only on the package itself. As soon as it does this, the orchestral music plays suddenly, shocking and scaring the audience. This heightens the overall tension within the scene, as well as the developing intrigue of the viewer. The music carries on, so this can be identified as a point in which the suspense is heightened, and later on it becomes a motif. It plays when Marion is packing her bag, signifying danger, and the audience are able to identify more underlying tension as the story unfolds little by little, the slow pace of the scene helps grab the audience's attention. In this particular scene it acts as an omen, the intention being to add to the tense, unsure atmosphere.

The opening pan shot establishes to the audience the setting, and as the camera zooms in, the text starts to appear on the screen. The further the camera zooms in, the more information is disclosed. It shows the day first (as seen above) and then the time (making it more specific and precise). The overall intentions of this zoom (and the text) could be to slowly give out information, the more perceptive of the audience would also pick up that more information is disclosed as the camera gets closer to the window, but when we reach outside the window everything is dark, showing secrecy which we later find out is the affair between Marion and Norman. The text also helps the audience familiarise themselves with the setting, making them feel comfortable. An intention of this could be to lure them into a false sense of security, as there is still an element of suspense and mystery as the camera zooms in on the window and the viewer is unable to see in, a clear juxtaposition to the initial pan shot and text, establishing when and where.

In conclusion, Hitchcock's direction for the opening of Psycho not only gives the audience a clue about the characters and their potential journeys but also establishes the setting and mood, something vital in all openings.

FILM NOIR AESTHETIC

Aesthetics of film noir are some of the most notable and stylized, with very specific guidelines being followed to create an exact effect. 

Powerpoint:

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

FEATURES OF FILM NOIR

Women in film noir:

    
LAUREN BACALL as the femme fetale in 'TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT' (1944).

There are usually 2 kinds of women in film noir - the femme fetale agonist and the unsuspecting, naive housewife. The femme fatale uses her femininity, beauty and sex appeal to gain status/power, money or independence (or all three)and uses these traits to manipulate the main male protagonist/ hero. She flaunts these by the clothes she wears (seen as provocotive at the time), heavy makeup and also by smoking, something glamourised by them in this genre. The femme fatale rejects traditional roles placed upon her by society, like the domestic housewife who looks after her children and husband. Femme fatales are almost always spinsters as "marriage  is associated with unhappiness, boredom, and the absence of romantic love and sexual desire." (1). She is dangerous, corrupt, manipulative and alone, but not independent, and the plot follows her destructive struggle for it, and is never completely socially liberated. The ending of the femme fatale is never happy, and she is always punished and doomed, reiterating a support for the existing social order and the complete dominance of the male.  Constrasts can be  firstly identified through the costumes, with the femme fetale wearing dark colours and heavy makeup, and the housewife wearing demure, often light coloured clothing and natural makeup. The contrast between the housewife and the femme fatale is also achieved through lighting. Silhouettes and hard lighting are used when focusing on the femme fatale, creating an air of mystery. This is very different to the lighting used for the housewife, which is soft, creating an innocent, for example, hair light can be used to frame the housewife, making her look angelic. It could be argued that it romanticises the role of the housewife, making her the victim of corrupt crime and affairs, again reinforcing a support for existing social order. For example, in the 1949 film 'Without Honour', one of the main characters (called Jane Bandle) is a housewife of the protagonist, and is deeply upset by his affairs and involvement in crime. 
This representation could be because of the time of these films, the timeframe for them is between the 1920s and 1940s, pre war, inter war or post war, all seen as times of confusion and uncertainty, the fate of the femme fatale reassures the audience, and the victimization of the housewife makes the audience sympathise with her, all the time gaining the viewer's support for the existing societal structure as the femme fatale tries to break up the nuclear family and 'taint' the husband by having an affair with him.


German Expressionism:



Films that refer back to techniques of German Expressionism are set in the 1920s and 1930s and are highly stylized and full of symbolism. Described as non realistic and geometric, they include themes of dark human experiences, deceit, madness and paranoia. This originated from the migration of German filmmakers fleeing Nazi Germany/ Nazi occupied countries and moving to America during the nineteen thirties. These films are subjective to the point of view, and capture inner moods, feelings and perceptions. Extreme camera angles, like high angle/low angle shots suggest characters being watched, shadows and silhouettes are used to create suspense and distort the viewer's perception of the height of the character, for example they can be lengthened to heighten suspense, with German Expressionism "aesthetics being marked by distortions and exaggerations" (2). Other camera shots include point of view shots, which make the audience percieve the scene through one of the character's eyes, then suggesting their emotions as well as their awareness and opinion on the situation, not just through dialogue. European, and especially German influences can be seen in aspects other than the strange camera angles. The  distrust of government officials and paranoia surrounding themes covered can be seen in lots, as well as the negative depiction of people in places of authority, like police officers. Much of this has obvious links to the situation and atmosphere in Europe during and prior to this period.One famous director is Fritz Lang, whose films are easily identified due to the inividualised, unique aesthetic of them. Schrader identifies this as an "uneasy, exhilarating combination of realism and Expressionism." Writing and directing in what is known as the 'Weimar period' (referring to the German Weimer Republic), Lang explored the criminal, somewhat corrupt underworld of the time and psychological conflict all under oppressive regimes, such as the one he experienced.

(1)
http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/MRC/noir/np05ff.html

(2)
http://www.let.rug.nl/usa/essays/general/does-film-noir-mirror-the-culture/the-noir-aesthetics.php

THRILLER INSPIRATION

MISERY (1990)

Based on Stephen King's novel, directed by Rob Reiner. Starring Kathy Bates as Annie Wilkes (the antagonist) and James Caan as Paul Sheldon, the victim. Themes of the plot include deception and secrecy and there is a psychological element in the plot. This is a conventional thriller that fits under the horror/psychological sub genre firstly because of the use of pathetic fallacy (snowy, stormy weather in this example), the themes of isolation/desolation and an accident which leads to the main plot. One identifiable unconventional aspect is that the victim is male, rather than female. The use of mise en scene is clever and subtle, for example, the opening scene consists of the male protagonist lighting a cigarette with a match in his office, and then focuses on the struggle of him doing so. Although this may seem something quite minor and trivial, it gives us a clue as to what will happen later on the film, with the setting fire of Sheldon's treasured novel. All the horrific goings on in the film are primarily caused (firstly) due to the bad weather. In the opening scene, Sheldon looks out of the window at the storm forming, from this we can interpret a main conventional idea of films of this genre-pathetic fallacy. The more perceptive of the audience will sense danger from this, as it is almost an omen.

FATAL ATTRACTION (1987)

Directed by Adrian Lyne and written by James Dearden. Starring Michael Douglas and Glenn Close. Themes include lies and deception, violence and stalking. This film is a conventional horror/psychological thriller in that it focuses on an antagonist and a protagonist, and covers themes associated with these sub genres. The vulnerability of Dan Gallagher's (Michael Douglas) family is used as a tool to shock and scare the audience, and the deceptive, disturbing nature of Alex Forrest disgusts and intimidates the audience. Alex's behaviour towards Dan again shocks and scares the audience, her erratic nature adding to the tension. It becomes obvious that she has some sort of pyschological problem (diagnosed as borderline personality disorder by analysists), another conventional features in this sub genre which is studied in depth in this film, and is the key and arguably most important feature of the plot, as her behaviour carries the story line, rather than the initial affair. One scene in the film which I identified as particularily disturbing/tense is the one in which Alex kidnaps Dan's child and takes her to a theme park where she puts her on a rollercoaster (which is too scary for her to ride). This scene cross cuts with Dan's wife in the car panicking and trying to look for her child, but ends up in a collision which injures her. The height of tension in this scene is when Alex and the child are on the rollercoaster (with the child looking overwhelmed and scared) and Dan's wife desperately searching, getting nearer and nearer to colliding with someone. This would deeply distress the audience as well as keep them on edge, as the scene is high paced and full of uncomfortable subject matter. This film seems to tick most of the conventionalities of this sub genre, but like Misery the antagonist is female, and the hero/protagonist is male. On top of this, there are moments in the film when everything seems calm and melodic, with no danger lurking. This is quickly changed by the actions of Alex, something not considered unconventional usually but I think it is in 'Fatal Attraction' because her behaviour is so unpredictable and the audience are often unaware of her direct involvement with Dan and his family, although it could be argued that this just heightens the tension and keeps the audience on edge.

OPENING TO 'THE SHINING'

The 1999 VHS version of the opening to Stanley Kubrick's adaptation of Stephen King's novel 'The Shining', described as a film concerning a "chilling, often baroque journey into madness" (Rotten Tomatoes).

The beginning of this version of the opening is quite gory, and full of tension to begin with. This is because there is a wide shot of the lift in the hotel, with nothing moving or going on. This does not change for approximately a minute and a half, because of the opening credits. The audience would be more concerned or distracted by the names appearing on the screen rather than the scene behind them to begin with. Blood starts to come out of the lift as soon as the credits have finished, which would shock, disgust and disturb the audience, immediately grabbing their attention, quite a conventional way to the opening of a psychological/horror-thriller. The blood actually smears the camera, distorting and eventually blocking the establishing shot of the lift, adding to the initial confusion, this distortion is another common feature.

It then goes black and cuts to a scene of a lake surrounded by mountains, a complete contrast what the audience just saw. This tranquility and apparent calmness of the situation is perplexing to the audience, and intrigues them further. Although it seems unconventional and rather ill fitting to the picture wanting to be create, it is actually quite a conventional technique thriller directors use. The peaceful feel of the scene lures the audience into a false sense of security, only to shock them even more, in this example through music. The long and bird eye shots make the viewer feel small, and could disorientate them slightly, especially with the canted angle shot of the island on the lake. A feeling of awe could be established through these kinds of shots, but in a way they are also quite hypnotizing and visually attractive, a complete juxtaposition of the scene before, again luring the audience into a false sense of security. In the next birds eye shot of the road and forest surrounding it, a car can be seen, and the camera tracking it could increase the viewer's curiousness. The music in this part evokes a sense of possible danger, putting the audience on edge once again, and heightening the suspense. In this case, the soundtrack is a proponent for creating tension and an element of anticipation and nervousness, the orchestral genre of it is another conventional feature of this genre, with a heavy emphasis on strings and the manipulation of the string section as violins (for example) can create an eerie noise, something we see in this example. The rich visuals juxtapose each other, the red of the lift and blood instantly create feelings of danger whereas the blues and greens of the lake, mountains and forest almost act as a tranquilizer, momentarily calming the audience down, only to shock them again.

THRILLER PREZI

PRELIMINARY EVALUATION

As part of this evaluation, I will be looking back on some of the shots, successes during filming - like managing to find a good location, as well as some of the failings - like not having a tripod.

Our group consisted of me, Ali, Alice and Rose, and we used Rose's DSLR to film with. Planning took much more time than the actual filming, and I think this was due to how much we had thought about the shots beforehand.

The film we produced does no represent a particular social group, although it could be inferred that it is representative of some teenagers/young people but this could just be due to the age/physical appearance of our actors (Alice and Ali). If so, this gives the audience a negative picture, as the subject included is not seen as something acceptable. I think this was achieved through the juxtaposition of the religious imagery vs the deal that was going on (as shown below, the orange glow of the lighting in the cathedral helped to establish this as when we filmed Alice and Ali's conversation there was a harsher light coming from outside which could be seen through the big window at the back of the pews (which was diegetic).

Something we found hard was trying to address a particular audience, as we did not think about anyone outside of our class (who we would show it to), creating an element of suspense aided us in attracting a wider audience as it puts people on edge, and grips them. The story isn't too complex or too hard to follow so I think this also helped, as attention isn't lost. The quality of the camera made the piece much more visually interesting so again, this was another way in which we could attract people, the film at times is colourful and the shots are quite diverse, this could appeal to people that perhaps appreciate the aesthetic of a film more.

We had to overcome several problems to do with technology, in both the filming of the piece and during the editing and final cut. The first was the unavailability of a tripod, this meant that we had to delete lots of shots when watching everything back because they were so shaky, and using makeshift tripods (like chairs and stalls on the pews).. This proved extremely fustrating. Another obstacle we encountered was when we were editing and reopening the programme each time a lot of the media was 'offline.' This then meant that we had to keep importing the same clip. Our piece was also meant to be accompanied by music, but we were unable to access the internet on our computer so used a memory stick several times (which didn't always read/show up on the computer), and for some reason did not play despite us finding several mp3s. This is a problem which we will have to fix, and somehow upload the music and then reupload the video to Youtube. 

I feel as if I have learnt quite a lot of things from this process, the foremost being that filming requires quite a lot of patience as well as waiting around (when filming in public). I feel very proud of my group, it took some time to plan, and the filming was not easy, and the editing was far from it-the problems we encountered definitely tested us. There was some disagreement about the shot types, and we had to come to agreements quite a few times which just slowed the whole process down. When watching the film back I find it annoying that there is no music, a problem which I am determined to fix somehow. I find the conversation quite unprofessional, probably because I know that we all laughed during filming and there are lots of amusing clips which we had to edit and cut due to someone laughing in the background or Rose (who was filming) shouting 'go' or waving her hand. I don't think this is a problem to those viewing it who were not there during filming. 

Next time, I would create a much more detailed story board, but some of the problems which we had to deal with were beyond our control so I hope that we won't have to deal with them during the filming of the thriller. When we film our next piece I think we should come up with a better initial idea/concept, but I know we will have more times so I am not concerned by this. One aspect of the planning process that helped us during filming was definitely deciding the location early on, as well as who was going to be acting. I think creating a more detailed storyboard would have helped us/been useful during filming, this is something we will do when planning our thriller. 

 

Something I was disappointed with when looking back on it after editing was that it looked like more of a documentary than a conversation, perhaps because me and Rose got distracted with how beautiful the location was and got carried away with establishing shots. Next time we will have to be stricter and rewatch several times before publishing the final cut.

We knew most of the shot types we were expected to include in our piece, and were quite confident about the names of them and what they looked like, although we sometimes referred back to a sheet we had been given previously. The quality of our work could be improved by depending less on shots of the cathedral to fill time, and to elongate the dialogue. The only dilemma with this would be that there wouldn't be much else to say so would just look embarrassing and even more unprofessional. 

 The planning of these shots before filming would have been useful, and is something we should probably have done before because it again, would have sped up the whole filming and editing process. I don't think we had a definitive dramatic moment, so this is something we can all learn from and remember to include next time.  The importance of continuity is something we all valued, so made sure we stuck to this strictly, which included filming everything on the same day within the space of 3 or so hours, as well as filming shots in rough order, so natural lighting did not look mixed up, as we filmed up until sunset. One shot I think is particularly effective is when Ali walks up the pews, and the camera is on the ground. (See below).

This low angle shot not only centres Ali as the subject but also makes him look bigger, which could make the audience think he has the upper hand of the conversation (which we later find out he doesn't at all). Another shot I think was successful was the extreme close up of Ali, probably because of his facial expression, he looks quite unsure, this is also before the deal so could show his dependency on Alice. 

I think we used a large array of kinds of shots, which (I think) looked effective in the final cut. The location was big and and the architecture detailed so was actually quite difficult to shorten the piece to 2 minutes because there were lots of objects to shoot- candles burning, stain glass windows, marble statues, effigies etc. For the thriller, I think we will have to try and focus on the actual film and what will fit rather than trying to capture the beauty of the setting too much-although this is something I think is fundamentally important and improves the visuals. 

The 180 degree rule (as shown here) is something we had to stick to throughout the film, with the person filming staying in front of the two actors, especially during the dialogue. We used this rule throughout, but moved the positioning of the camera man ever so slightly so that both actors weren't in shot all the time, paying particular attention to when they took turns to speak.

As you can see, when focusing on one person, the other is only slightly in shot. This makes it easier for the audience to concentrate, and the shot is much less crowded this way, something we tried to avoid. 

To edit, we used 'Premiere Pro', a programme only one of the group had used before. Alice (who had used it before) showed us the basics before we all had a go at editing. What I personally found the hardest was getting to grips with how the programme worked i.e. how to import clips, but I think once I had been told it became easy. The only major problems we had were trying to get the music onto the clip (after deleting the background sound) and the media being 'offline' every time we logged onto the computer. This was a difficulty I do not directly associate with the programme, but rather with the computer. My editing skills have definitely improved, before they were virtually non existent as I have had no experience with editing film clips. Next time I edit, I will use a soundtrack, which will help add to the mood of the film, and will also make sure to add several more underscores, as in this film they are only included during the opening of a gate and during the dialogue, and it is easy to identify such a lack of sound. When we come to edit our thrillers, I think we will all find the process much quicker as we have all had a go at it and know how the programme works, I feel much more confident about it when reflecting on it. Something I would do next time would be to remember to render the entire work area as it compresses it and would make it quicker and easier to upload to Youtube. The editing process didn't come without problems but I quite enjoyed it, despite the problems that accompanied it..

As I have mentioned before, we used a variety of shot types, some of them we had never tried out before. I think there were failures as well as successes in the shots we did use for the final cut, but this just be to personal taste rather than the quality of the individual shot.

Wide shot of Ali - we wanted the doors to be in the centre so that there was symmetry in the direction both Ali and Alice walked.

When looking closely at the stills of shots, you can see the angle has shifted slightly, and is therefore not completely the same or symmetrical. This was due to us not being able to borrow a tripod, something we will now make sure we have for the filming of our thriller.

I initially thought this was quite a nice wide shot of Alice, but we wanted the door to completely frame her walking through, and you can't see the top of the doorway so doesn't look as clean.

This long shot of Ali is one of my favourite shots of the whole film. The lighting is just right, and the pews and door create a great centre so the focus is completely on him. The diegetic lighting from the stained glass windows, and the light from the lamps (diegetic if you look very carefully) gives off a hair light. The only problem with this shot would be the man sitting watching in the background, people in shots are a sometimes unavoidable problem when shooting in public.

The time of day in which we were shooting ( approximately 2-4.30 pm) meant that the sun wasn't too strong and there wasn't much danger of shots being underexposed, but if we had shot any later they would have become underexposed (which they almost did towards the end of shooting). The setting also proved difficult to get the right lighting for some shots, because there isn't that much electricity there or  alternate lighting source other than candles or windows, especially in the more enclosed parts of the cathedral. Perhaps filming slightly earlier in the day for some shots, and then waiting to film others would have created a better effect, but could also interfere with the continuity of the piece as a whole. Something else we could have tried was bringing our own artificial lighting to use which would have acted as a stronger light source, and also a more directional backlight, but again this would have proved tricky- hard to carry on the bus and also would draw attention to ourselves even more and could involve the relocation of lights. I would also be slightly concerned about the altering of light temperatures if we were to do this, as it would interfere with the natural light already present.

In conclusion, from this task I have not only learnt how to edit but have also become more confident when editing. The filming of the task proved quite tricky, but it was also something I enjoyed thoroughly. From this I have also taken advice on what to do/not to do next time we film, whether this be in the planning, filming or editing of our thriller.

PRELIMINARY TASK

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HN4FAo7xZ60

STILLS FROM THE PRELIMINARY TASK

Here are some of the shots we did not include in our preliminary task due to the lack of tripod making the camera shaky, the camera not focusing properly, or because some of us didn't know the camera was recording, problems which we found frustrating and are hoping not to repeat next time.

 

We couldn't use these shots because a tripod wasn't available so they were incredibly shaky.

Alice and Ali laughed during the filming of the conversation.

I accidentally ran into shot.