Lighting

Before using any equipment, as a class we explored the health and safety issue of using a camera, tripod and lighting. In groups of three, we placed the camera onto the tripod and experimented with using it. We also  experimented with two different types of light; dimmed light and natural light.

Dimmed light:

• Symbolises a cold atmosphere
• Expresses the genre horror/ thriller

Lighting creates different affects and moods. The type of light could also portray a particular genre. Lighting focuses on characters facial expressions and emotions and it emphasizes their movement. We used the lighting above someone's head, behind their head and infront of their face. We zoomed in for particular shots, such as close ups and we zoomed out for other shots such as long shots.

Types of Camera Shots

Extreme long shot:

• Known as an establishing shot
• Its purpose is to let the audience know where and whenthe scene is taking place
• It is often an exterior shot; outside setting
• Any characters may be visible but only from a distance.

Long shot:

• Usually follows an establishing shot
• The audience see the character from head to toe
• It shows the relationship between the character and the environment/setting

Mid shot:

• Shows half a characters body. (waist upwards)
• Shows the characters body language and facial expressions in more detail
• Audience becomes more familiar with the character

Close ups:

• Shows the shoulders and upwards of a character
• The audience can see the characters emotions more clearly
• They enable you to focus on the chracters facial expressions

Extreme close up:

• Shows only the characters face
• The camera may focus on a particular feature (the eyes)
• Draws the audiences attention to the characters facial expressions
• They add intensity to the scene as it blocks out the background and other characters
• The focus is completly on a particular character

Idea for a film, First two minutes of my Film and My Pitch.

Title: Red Head Sucker

Rock star legend: Lenny Rich

The scene centres around the genre thriller/horror. The idea came watching the series Criminal Minds. It inspired me to direct and create a film based on a particular episode. The film is about a rock star called Lenny, who performs at several concerts. He has an obsession about red head women. At the end of each concert Lenny tracks down and follows a red head woman fan home. They always look surprised and happy to see their legend arriving on their door step. The women fall for his charm and invites him in. Lenny fakes a relationship with them and after a number of weeks he shows who he really is and not the rock legend people think he is. In the end he turns them into vampires just like he is.

The film is set in London and the main character, the rock star, lives on his own in a penthouse in Chelsea. He drinks quite a lot of alcohol and smokes cannabis on a regular basis. Lenny wears a black leather jacket, dealer boots and lots of black eyeliner. His fingernails are painted black and he has long, black hair. Most of his fans are "goth" looking as their faces consist of a number of piercing's and dark, heavy make up. A number of eerie soundtracks are used through out the film to create tension and suspense. There is lots of low key lighting, especially in his predator's homes. This will make the audience feel nervous and put them on edge which is necessary with the genre type. A number of extreme close up shots will be filmed, this includes images of Lenny's face and images of the victims faces (their necks when action is taking place). These shots will maybe make the audience feel uncomfortable.

At the beginning of the film a loud, heavy rock song is being played in the background and there are various clips being shown. Firstly of the rock star performing, secondly the fans jumping up and down going wild and thirdly the reflection of the disco lights moving on the ceiling. After a minute of this, the scene changes and  Lenny is back stage, is his dressing room. Here we see the legend applying more eye liner to his eyes. He then takes a large swig of whiskey from a bottle. A reflection of himself is present in the mirror opposite him, he throws the bottle at it aggressively and it shatters into pieces. Lenny picks up a sharp piece of the mirror and it cuts into his finger. He licks the blood away and laughs hysterically.

Pitch: This film will have you sitting on the edge of your sits as rock star Lenny turns out not to be a rock star legend after all.  

City of God Opening

The first minute of the film is very fast paced, the editing of the clips is very choppy and random. It leaves the audience quite confused. Some of the images are grusome and sickening, for example the birds head being chopped off. This demonstrates death and torture.

The music in the background has a fast and repetitive beat, it's the sound of someone beating a steal drum and someone faintly playing a guitar. There are lots of sound effects used along with the music to create a busy atmosphere.

The sharpening of the metal knife connotes death and it creates an eerie atmosphere. The sound of it scraping against the rock cuts through the happy music playing in the background. The focus of the clip is on the knife, this connotes that it could be a vital instrument in the film. A knife is a dangerous and sharp object used for cutting things. A few seconds later the knife is used to cut up the bird. This is a close up shot which leaves the audience feeling disturbed and traumatised.

A different bird gets away and runs off. Whilst following this bird, a pool of blood on a white plate suddenly appears. The shot is an extreme close up which leaves you feeling nauseous. Once the plate of blood is shown, the editing slows down and the music stops quickly. The audience are left with diagetic sounds of the scene such as the birds squawking, people moving and then a man shouting.

At the end of the opening credits, the aural sound of a car horn is heard. An image of the car is then seen and the bird appears underneath it still running away. This made me panic and left me feeling nervous as I thought the bird was going to die. Men appear holding guns, this connotes that they are violent and dangerous. One of the men command the boy on the other side to go after the bird. A police car pulls up suddenly behind the boy, the group of men pull the triggers on their guns aiming it their way. The young boy is left stuck in the middle between the good (the police) and the bad (the group of men). He bends down towards the bird, this is a long shot image. A 180 degree turn of the camera then happens, the boys eyes move with the camera. The focus is then on the police for a matter of seconds until another 180 degree turn happens where the focus goes back onto the group of men. The opening scene ends with a 360 degree turn where the boy visualises himself at a younger age. The ending creates a narrative that the boy in the middle is going to be the main character of the film.

The Inbetweeners Movie

Who made the film?
The 2011 British comedy film was directed by Ben Palmer, and produced by Christopher Young who produced all three series of the TV show. It was written by Damon Beesley and and Iain Morris. The cinematographer was Jon Tester and the editing was done by William Webb and Charlie Fawcett. The music was composed by Oliver Whelan.


Casting/Actors
The inbetweeners Movie stars Simon Bird, Joe Thomas, James Buckley and Blake Harrison.The film follows the four main characters on holiday in Malia, Crete where they drink, vomit and use foul language. The filming began on 6 February 2011 with filming beginning in Mallorca, Spain on 19 February 2011.


Box office, Success and audience
On its first day of release, the film grossed over than £2.5 million in 409 cinemas. The film then went on to hold the most successful opening weekend for a British comedy film. In the UK the film was rated as a 15+. It was clearly aimed at young adults due to its comic story.

Case Studies

Aardman:  It is a British animation studio based in Bristol, United Kingdom.
Founded by: Peter Lord and David Sproxton in 1976
Films they have made: Flushed Away (2006) - computer animated British film directed by David Bowers and Sam Fell.
Wallace and Gromit: The curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005) -British clay-mation, animated, horror film. The film was directed by Nick Park and Steve Box. It was produced by DreamWorks Animation and Aardman Animations, and released by DreamWorks Pictures.
Chicken Run (2000) -British stop-motion animation film.
Box office figures for the films:
Flushed Away: $178,120,010
Chicken Run: $224,834,564
Wallace and Gromit: $192,610,372


Working title: Working Title films is a British film production company that was founded in 1983.
Founded by: Tim Bevan and Sarah Radclyffe
Films they have made: Mr Bean's Holiday (2007) -British comedy film by Rowan Atkinson.
Definitely, Maybe (2008) - Romantic comedy film directed by Adam Brooks.
State of Play (2009) - French-British-American political thriller film.The film was   directed by Kevin Macdonald from a screenplay written by Matthew Michael Carnahan, Tony Gilroy, Peter Morgan, and Billy Ray.
Box office figures for the films:      
Mr Bean's Holiday: $229,736,344
Definitely, Maybe: $55,447,968    
State of Play: $91,445,389       

Warp X:  British film production company, separate from Warp Films based in Sheffield, UK with further offices in Nottingham and London.
Founded in: 2005
Films they have made: This is England (2006) - British drama film written and directed by Shane Meadows.
 Donkey Punch (2008) - British thriller film about a group of English people on holiday in Spain who end up fighting for their lives. The film was written and directed by Oliver Blackburn and David Bloom.
Grow Your Own (2007) - British comedy film directed by Richard Laxton, and written by Frank Cottrell Boyce and Carl Hunter.
Box office figures for the films:
Grow Your Own: £103,777
Donkey Punch: £448,465
This is England: £5,154,493


HanWay: An independent British international sales, distribution and marketing company specializing in theatrical feature films.      
Founded by: film producer Jeremy Thomas in 1998.
Films they have made: Wuthering Heights (2011) -romantic film directed by Andrea Arnold.
13 Assassins (2010) - Japanese jidaigeki film directed by Takashi Miike.
Essential Killing (2010) - political thriller film by the Polish director Jerzy Skolimowski.       
Box office figures for the films:     
13 Assassins: $17,054,213