Planning - Opening Sequence



Types of shots used - Opening shot

When designing the story board for our Opening Sequence, I decided to include a close up, low angled shot of the girls feet because it was interesting and different. Instead of opening with an establishing shot, I thought this would be more effective in the respect of meeting the requirements of the genre of what the film would be, because this shot conveys a sense of mystery as it doesn't show the characters face, only feet. I decided 'Abbie' (primary character) should be bare footed to further show her drunken state which would explain how she thoughtlessly invites what could potentially (and ironically is) a murderer. I also thought this would make her stand out against the two with their shoes still on. Following this the camera zooms out to allow more focus and understanding of the surroundings for the audience.

Editing

Currently in the very early stages of editing via 'Final Cut Express' - so far so good. Extremely pleased with the quality of the filming, (due to the use of a HD Camera.) Plus no group disputes have yet occurred! Slowly progressing towards our first working copy before our next group meeting on what to do next. Me and Maisie are both working really hard and putting all our free time into this project. Still a long way to go before our finished product, decisions on what clips to use (as we shot the same scene quite a lot of times for safety in allowing us to have a wider variety of different angles, levels, proximity to choose from.) have been keeping us busy! Finding Final Cut Express relatively easy to use with the help of our class teachers although occasionally we don't have a clue what we're doing and just click random buttons till we find what we want! :)

Preliminary Sequence

TASK:

To film and edit a character opening a door, crossing a room and sitting down opposite another character. They converse. Should demonstrate match on action, shot/reverse shot and the 180 degree rule. Last a maximum of 2 minutes.

The above clip is of my groups Preliminary Sequence demonstrating some examples of successful camera work and exploration of angles, in the preparation of filming our Opening Sequence.

I would have liked to have more time to plan this exercise and include credits. Shooting and editing took 2 hours in total.

Low Angle Shot

This is an example of a shot from a camera positioned low on the vertical axis. This consists of anywhere below the eyeline, looking up. Like Worm's Eye View, this shot is popular in being used for the 'big, strong and superior' effect.

Worm's Eye View

This is a shot from below the subject, usually used to make a character or object seem superior, powerful or strong, and anyone else small and not important, clearly thats not the case in this example... However the young girl in this clip appears to have control over the situation and is almost the decision maker of what happens next.

Aerial Shot

Aerial shots are easily recognised as they are the only type of camera movement that is taken from a plane or helicopter for extreme height and establishment of a landscape making any characters seem insignificant. However it is a variation of a crane shot.

Reverse Tracking Shot

Also known as Dolly Zoom, this shot is a special effect that is used to unsettle its audience. The camera moves away from the object but zooms in at the same time, making the background appear to be changing size while the object remains the same.

Whip Pan

A Whip Pan is a type of Panning Shot in which the camera moves from side to side however is done to fast it blurs. This type of shot is commonly used as a transition between shots or even scenes.

Tracking Shot

The camera itself moves forwards or backwards, in or away from the subject. The shot is called a Tracking Shot because the camera is often run along a small track. In this particular example, the effect the use of camera movement has on the audience is to feel connected to the woman being watched and followed.

Wide Panning Shot

This example of a Panning Shot shows the horizontal pivoting or rotation of the Camera from one side to the other to show a larger area of the subject, in this case, the beach. The camera does not move apart from left to right, and often remains very still as the camera is on a tripod, however hand held panning shots are also used. The panning technique is used to suggest fast motion, and bring out the subject from other elements in the frame, as well as showing the surroundings or background.