Research Into Editing - Miss Georgiou

Film editing is part of the creative post production process of film making. The term film editing is derived from the traditional process of working with film, but now it increasingly involves the use of digital technology. The film editor works with the raw footage, selecting shots and combining them into sequences to create a finished motion picture. Editing in films is used to have many different effects such as increase tension or increase pace. I will analyse editing in a clip from 'The Human Centipede'.

In this clip the editing technique of a shot reverse shot is used, this is at the beginning when the girls are in need of help as they are tied to the bed. We see the camera cut to one of the girls face and then the shot reverse shot is used as it cuts to the other girls face to show her reaction to the situation. The result of this piece of editing is that it depicts to the audience how the character is feeling towards the situation, as they can see the emotion on their face, and this further advances the story. This piece of editing is often used in thriller films as it can strongly portray a sense of fear among the audience and therefore create tension.

Another editing technique used in this clip is slow timing of shots, this is used when the antagonist walks down the hallway in as he chases the victim. The slow timing shot used here builds suspense as the audience are anticipating the antagonist to find the victim and when he does not appear at first the audience feel relieved as they are led to believe the victim has escaped. But when the antagonist appears they once again fear for the victim, and relationships are therefore made as the audience want the victim to escape. Slow timing of shots is related to thriller films as they can help build suspense at times but also if the timing of shot is faster it can create action in scenes when an attack is taking place.

A reaction shot is another piece of editing used in this clip, this is when one of the girls escapes from the bed and the camera shows the antagonists reaction. This shot shows the audience how desperate the antagonist is to keep his victims hostage as a furious reaction is shown when one of the escapes. This reaction shot also reveals the antagonists intentions and shows hes not planning to let his hostages go. Reaction shots are used to portray to the audience a characters feelings to an event and usually implies an important event has taken place. 

Fast timing of shots is used when the victim escapes, the camera cuts from the character, to her arm getting cut, to her reaction and then to the antagonist at a quick pace. The effect of this is that it creates action and also builds a relationship between the victim and the audience as they can relate to the situation as fast shots have been used to create a sense of chaos. The fast shots also replicate the victims situation; her heart will be racing as she attempts an escape. 

Research into Cinematography - Miss Miller

Cinematography is the technique of movie photography, including both the shooting and development of a film. Cinematography also consists of many different camera shots and angles. I will analyse the cinematography featured in a clip from ‘Shutter Island’.

Close up:

The first use of cinematography we see is a close up camera shot on Leonardo Di Caprio when he’s holding the gun. Here the camera goes close up on both his face and the gun, the effect of this is that the audience can see the raw emotion on his face and it therefore builds the tension as the audience can see how he is feeling. The close up here is also important as it draws the audiences attention to the gun as well as Leonardo's face, this creates suspense as the audience are aware that there maybe some sort of shoot off, this makes it relevant to the thriller genre as it builds suspense. This shot builds a relationship with the audience as they feel as if they are involved in the scene as it feels as if the gun is pointing at them, thus creating a sense of fear amongst the audience and portrays how the characters in the film may also be feeling making the characters more relateable to the audience. Close ups are often used in thriller films as they portray the emotion towards the audience.

Point of view:

Another shot used in this clip is point of view, this shot is used when Leonardo Di Caprio is holding the gun to the antagonist. The effect of this shot is that it allows the audience to see the situation from Di Caprio’s perspective and they can therefore relate with the situation he is in. This shot is often used in thriller clips to make it seem more realistic and makes it conventional, it is also a relevant shot used in the thriller genre as it creates tension. This shot also creates further tension as it puts the audience in his situation and allows them to ask the question 'what would they do in his situation?' This shot is also used as it draws the audiences attention to the gun once again, and they are anticipating him pulling the trigger. The point of view shot is often used in the thriller genre when a significant part of the film is about to happen; it helps attract the audiences attention to a turning point in the film.

Aerial Shot:

Here an aerial shot is used, this piece of cinematography is used to make someone look vulnerable and small, we see this shot when the confrontation is taking place. Here it is doing the same as the antagonist is under attack and is therefore in a vulnerable position, this is emphasised through the aerial shot as he is being made to look smaller than his enemy. This is conventional of a thriller film as either the antagonist or protagonist is always in a vulnerable position. An aerial shot builds relationships with the audience as it allows them to easily identify who is in a weak position. This shot is relevant for the thriller genre as it shows one character in an inferior position, thus making the other look superior and domineering, this creates the effect of dominance and therefore portrays characters as being scary, thus creating some sort of tension.

Shallow focus:

A shallow focus is used in this clip when the antagonist is showing Leonardo Di Caprio pictures of his children; the pictures are focused on and the rest of it is out of focus. This technique creates emphasis to show the main subject in the scene and the rest of the shot is out of focus. This shallow focus creates some sort of an enigma as most of the shot is in blur, and it allows the audience to question what may be going on in the background. The effect of  shallow focus is that the audience’s attention is drawn the main piece of iconography in the shot, which in this case is the pictures, this creates tension as the iconography that they are focused on is some what disturbing to the main character.

Over the shoulder shot:

An over the shoulder shot is used in this clip when Leondardo DiCaprio is talking to the antagonist, this shot is shows the shoulder of one character and the full face of the other character. This shot is used to help establish the position of each person and it also allows the audience to see each character from one anothers point of view, the effect of this is that it engages the audience in the conversation and allows them to relate with the characters easier. Its common to cut between these shots during a conversation, this emphasises the fact that a conversation is taking place, therefore allowing the audience to pay more attention to what is being said. This use of cinematography is relatable to any film genre, as conversation is a key aspect in all films.

Handheld Camera:

The handheld camera shot is used when the fight breaks out, this cinematography is used here to create a sense of chaos parrallel to the fighting that is taking place in the film. A sense of chaos is created as the handheld cinematoography produces a jerky and uncertain atmosphere amongst the audience, making it unclear to the audience what is actually going on. This piece of cinematography is prominent in the thriller genre as it creates a much more realistic feel to the film, making it seem to the audience like its actually happening, it also allows the audience to feel although they are involved in the situation as they are experiencing the same type of chaos which the characters are. Furthermore this allows the audience to relate with the characters as they can put themselves in the same situation as the characters. 

Research into mise-en-scene - Miss Georgiou

Mise-en-scene is a french word and it consists of all the visual information in front of the camera.  The purpose of Mise-en-scene is to communicate essential information to the audience. The five elements of Mise-en-scene are....

• Setting and iconography
• Costume/Make up
• Body Language
• Lighting/Colours
• Positioning

I will analyse these elements of Mise-en-scene in the following clip: 

Batman The Dark Knight - Good Cop, Bat Cop.

Setting and Iconography:

This scene is set in a dark and doomey room which is quite bare. This setting reflects the situation which both The Batman and the people of Gotham are in due to the joker; a hopeless and catastrophic situation. A setting like this is often used in the thriller genre, such as grimy abandoned rooms, they are often related to crime. The dark room also represents both the dark side of batman and also the sinful intentions of The Joker. The audience would expect an evil character to be related with darkness in a thriller film, and this clip therefore allows us to identify him as the villain.

Costume:

In this clip the Batman is wearing dark clothes and a mask, this is a strong code and convention that the hero often hides their identity. Furthermore it makes the Batman seem mysterious to the audience as his face is hidden. The fact the Batman has his own costume sets him apart from the normal characters in the film, thus making him much more noticeable to the audience. Batman is also dressed in all black, this represents the dark side of him although he intends to be good. In contrast to Batman the Joker is dressed in much more brighter colours and wears clown like make up, thus conforming to his name. This also represents that he sees the less serious side of the situation compared to Batman.

Body Language:

As you can see in this screen shot the body language being displayed is quite anxious, several people are looking on in anticipation of what the Batman is going to do. This body language creates suspense amongst the audience as they can see that the characters in the film are feeling worried about the bad intentions the Joker has in mind. Body language is often used in the thriller genre to create emotions amongst the audience, it’s one of the more discreet ways to do this.

Lighting/Colour:

At the beginning of this clip there is very little lighting, however when the Batman becomes present in the scene there is more lighting, this could be to represent to the audience how Batman is a sign of hope to the people of Gotham; he lights up Gotham from the antagonists. Also at the beginning of the scene The Joker is on the dark half of the table and Commissioner Gordon is on the lighter half, this could also depict how Commissioner Gordon is representing the good side and The Joker is representing the evil side.

Positioning:

In this clip The Batman and The Joker are both positioned sitting evenly opposite each other, the effective of this is that it represents how they are both evenly matched to this point in the film. It also shows how neither party is backing down and they are both up for the battle. The fact that both enemies are positioned so close to each other builds suspense amongst the audience as they are anticipating a fight any second.