CCR questions (preliminary task 1) - planning

 CCR - Preliminary Task One

question 1

conventions used:

• suspenseful/eerie music
• low lighting, blue hue
• vulnerability of protagonist in presence of antagonist
• continuity editing
• hand held camera work
• bloody smiley face balloon
• blood smeared title
• narrative revolving around antagonist
• close-ups
• location - outside; abandoned carpark
• diegetic: dialogue - "smile"
• fade to black

sound (non-diegetic)

• The main mood in regards to the non-diegetic sound of my film was to attain a score that was suspenseful and eerie.
  • I believe in my final edit this achieved through the use of many music layerings i found through premier pro (the editing system I'm working with).
  • I wanted music that resembled suspense to achieve that basic convention of a thriller but I also wanted an eerie mood due to the actual plot line of the film as it revolves around a serial killer.
• I also used a sound effect of a heartbeat to symbolise the way the victim was feeling and also raise the adrenaline of the audience.
• I wanted there to be distinctive moments between eerie moments and intense moments and I did this through the use of the score.
• You can tell when the chase scene commences how there is a change in atmosphere through the use of sound as I added a more upbeat score that featured a higher frequency of bass.
• With my next preliminary task I could probably focus on making these swift transitions more smooth as sound and music was something I struggled with the most when editing as I had so many options to choose from.
• Another idea is to also get music I want directly from youtube.

sound (diegetic)

• I decided to keep all the diegetic sounds from our actual shots in the film to add an aspect of realness.
• The ruffling of the papers at the beginning and the sound of footsteps running during the chase scene keep the whole film realistic and lift that intense mood.
• As for dialogue we kept it very minimal only having a short conversation between the two characters at the very end. This interaction is very important however, as that main line of "smile" is revealed.
  • This being important as it's not only the title of the film but it sets up the character and mood of the serial killer and creates an anticipation for the 'rest of the movie'.
• There was an idea to add a blade/knife sound effect when the killer pulls out his knife which we actually tried to record as a diegetic sound but due to the shot I used there was no way to add this effect and still keep that realistic aspect.
• Potentially in the future I want to make sure we get enough of different types of shots so all avenues can be explored in regards to effects used.

lighting

• We used a typical convention of low lighting in our film to create that intense and eerie mood. To add to this low lighting we used a convention of a blue hue to add this atmosphere of coldness and darkness; to almost foreshadow the events that are about to take place.
  • This blue hue is more evident in the beginning scenes as they were shot inside and we actually were able to hold up a blue sheet of cellophane in front of our light.
  • Through editing I also attempted to incorporate this blue hue in all the other shots, it's not as intense as it's artificial.
  • I don't mind the fact that the blue hue is more intense at the beginning as a contrast is created between the beginning and the end as the bright colours of red and yellow are seen in the murder scene. This contrast of colour schemes almost challenges a typical thriller as you wouldn't expect it to be used. This creates a sense of anticipation as the audience is unaware of what could happen next.
• Due to the fact we filmed majority of our shots outside at nighttime the lighting was a little bit difficult in some cases.
  • However, through premier pro I am able to heighten the exposure of some shots which really helped out as we still wanted a low lighting look but not to the point where you couldn't see what was happening anymore.
  • There was one point we actually had to use our phone torches to get some light on a close up shot outside due to the fact we couldn't set up a light due to no power source. Fortunately, the phone torch did the trick but this is something we have to keep in mind when filming outside in the future.
• The advantage of the natural lighting being quite dark was that we were able to achieve that dark atmosphere. We were also able to successfully get a dark silhouette of the killer throughout majority of the film; only revealing his face through the main line of "smile". This adds to that eerie, suspenseful mood which is very typical of a thriller movie.

narrative structure

• Our film 'smile' contains only a protagonist and antagonist
  • the protagonist is that of a normal, everyday man working an office job.
  • the antagonist is that of a serial killer.
• We followed that typical plot line and feeling of vulnerability experienced by the protagonist as they are in the presence of the antagonist.
  • in this way the audience can feel sympathy for this character which makes their death at the end so much more intense and hurtful but also reveals to the audience that the killer isn't afraid to kill anyone which sets up a suspenseful mood.
  • through this the audience also automatically assume the worst of the antagonist.
• As this is only an opening of a film it seems typical for a murder or some sort of problem to arise which is what we achieve and although a protagonist may be featured it doesn't necessarily mean they are your typical hero as most heroes would usually end up surviving.
  • The protagonist is different in our case as we didn't necessarily view him as an important part of the 'entire film' if there were to be more but only important to this opening sequence --> they reveal the lengths the killer will go to (in some way they are the killer's accessory). It may not even be right to call him the protagonist.
• As for the antagonist they are more the 'main character' because if the film were to proceed the audience will find that the entire film would revolve around him and kind of be his story. This being a non typical convention of a thriller.
  • This killer didn't necessarily need a motive either but instead gets a 'high' off killing.
• Potentially if we had put more time into planning we could have made these concepts more evident as this idea may not come off as strong through this opening sequence.
• However, I do believe the narrative structure was rather effective as it had a clear beginning and end and set up for a mysterious and anticipating film if there were one to follow.

editing

• Continuity editing was the main feature used in the film as a match on action shot was a requirement for the film. I also tried to include other continuity editing in my other shots.
  • We made sure to get plenty of shots of our actor opening and shutting the door to ensure that we could make the perfect of edit of a match on action.
• Like mentioned when talking about lighting I additionally went in through the use of premier pro (which was the editing software I used to edit) and added a blue hue throughout my shots which isn't extremely evident as I didn't want it to take away from the shots, but I wanted that cold feeling to be seen and experienced throughout the film.
• I used fade to black's (a video transition) to slow the film down and allow the audience to process and assess what may happen next.
• I also added audio and video transitions to my shots to create a smooth run of the film without any awkward pauses.
• I could have added more quick cuts to my film and made that a prominent feature in film as it would of added more suspense and it is very effective; especially in fight scenes which we had included.
• I edited out unnecessary diegetic sound in the shots like that of 'cut' and 'action'.

camera work

• hand held camera
• medium close up
• extreme close up
• low angles
• high angles
• over the shoulder shot
• wide shot
• panning shot
• shot reverse shot

• We mainly used hand held camera work as we felt it gave the film a more realistic view.
  • It was especially effective in the chase scene as it created a more suspenseful and chaotic atmosphere as it's more unstable.
• We used an over the shoulder shot to show the text message the protagonist receives; this once again creating a more realistic view as you almost feel like the one looking over their shoulder.
• We used an extreme close up shot to reveal the terror the protagonist felt in his last moments which heightens the adrenaline for the audience as they wait for the inevitable.
• A learning outcome from using the camera is a very basic one but a mistake we still seemed to make possibly due to the fact we filmed at night and it was harder to see on the camera; this is making sure the boom isn't in the shot.
  • Fortunately we were able to crop the shots and edit the boom out.
• Another problem was also making sure our shadows weren't in the shot especially in those panning shots as we followed the character.

symbolism and iconography

• The yellow bloody smiley face balloon was the main component in our film. It was the calling card of the serial killer and also gives the audience information on why we've actually named the film the way we have. The balloon being the colour of yellow is significant as we are using a colour that would usually have connotations of happiness for something more sinister. There is a contrast between the colours used in this end scene and the blue hue I incorporated in the other shots. This potentially adds a welcoming feeling to the film but in a dark way --> the audience are uncertain but intrigued to keep watching.
  • These concepts make the film very creepy and add an uncomfortable feeling.
  • We turned something innocent into something dar and twisted which is most serial killers do anyways. It is also a common feature of thriller films.
  • There is a child like aspect to all these concepts which makes the atmosphere uncomfortable.
• The bloody smeared title was the iconography I used to match the same feelings the balloon portrayed.
• There was an aspect of dark vs light in regards to the costumes used. The serial killer was dressed in all black to resemble a dark side and how he's fully emerged in this part of his character. In contrast the protagonist was wearing a white shirt that portrayed his innocence and purity. Naturally a good vs evil concept is established.
• A knife was used as the murder weapon which is a very conventional thriller element. The reasoning of this choice was to reinforce the idea that the killer truly has no motive but gets a 'high' off killing. He could have easily murdered someone with one shot of a gun but it takes time to stab someone to death, he takes time so he can enjoy it.
• The blood worked really well and was super thick to resemble that of normal blood. We were able to fulfil that vision of the victim lying in a pool of blood. The only problem we encountered was the that the blood actually weighed the balloon down so we couldn't get that shot of the balloon bopping in the wind at the end. Fortunately we still got a shot of the balloon with the victim and it still gave the same effect we were hoping to achieve.